Elliott Jones

Treasure Coast Newspapers

FORT PIERCE — For Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney, it was the equivalent of a slam dunk.

While attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in Philadelphia on Monday, she met legendary retired professional basketball player Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal.

The NBA Hall of Famer is an honorary deputy in Clayton County, Georgia. Earlier this year, he talked about running for sheriff in 2020, possibly in Georgia.

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At the convention, the towering man, who is 7-feet, 1-inch tall, went around talking about police chiefs making good decisions for their communities.

During a conversation with him, Hobley-Burney learned he is familiar with the Fort Pierce area and knew the location of the Interstate 95 exit.

"Wouldn't it be great to have him as a reserve police officer in Fort Pierce," she said.

Because of his current work, she stopped short of asking him to come to the city. He already is a reserve officer in the city of Doral, near Miami.

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During his career, O'Neal played for the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat NBA teams and became the eighth-highest scoring NBA player during regular season play.

Now, he is a television sports analyst, as well as showing a strong interest in law enforcement.

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At the convention, Hobley-Burney also was a person of interest to police chiefs. The city is the first in the nation to use holster-activated body cameras. Normally, the cameras, which are constantly recording, only save the last 30 seconds. Once a weapon is drawn, the system keeps recording without deleting anything.

The Fort Pierce Police Department has had 100 of the cameras since early summer; they are being used by police officers on routine patrols.