As a bright sun blazed onto the concrete, sweat dribbled down the faces of Lt. Garrold Keaton and Patrol Officer Grant McLean from the Orange Police Department.
They were working in the noon heat Friday to make sure kids would be able to shoot hoops when they dribbled a basketball at the Velma Jeter Apartments.
The two cops picked up a donated basketball goal and worked with a couple of residents to put the goal together. Lt. Keaton said Officer McLean a couple of weeks ago while patroling the public housing complex took time out to play basketball with some of the kids living there.
A resident took a video of the cops and kids having fun and posted the video on Facebook. Lt. Keaton said the video went viral and drew lots of praise. It also brought up a question: Why didn’t the kids have a basketball goal?
A woman, who wants to be anonymous, asked the officers if they would deliver a goal if she bought it. Lt. Keaton said he asked police department administrators and the management of the apartment complex on Allie Payne Road. They got the go-ahead from everyone.
That led to the hot installation and some cool fun for the kids.
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