Hoops Not Crime Initiative Builds New BBall Court at Dower Square
The court was build by sponsors as part of the Hoops Not Crime program and is named after Shavez Forte.
As part of the Hoops Not Crime initiative, Officer Darren Derby earlier this summer rallied local businesses to construct a brand-new basketball court. The concept is part of the growing national movement among police departments to forge relationships with the community through basketball.
"I've kind of injected myself, if you will, into this housing community. A lot of the kids never really had the interaction with police. Now it is kind of a daily thing where I come down here. I wanted to give them something to let them know that I am here, that I care, that I love them, that we are here for them. There was no better way than to give them a basketball court," Derby said.
Derby was joined by other members of the Pittsfield Police Department, Mayor Linda Tyer, and, of course, dozens of children from the Dower Square housing project on Tuesday to cut the ribbon on the new court. The court is aptly named after Shavez Forte, a 6-year old who last year was brought on to the department as an honorary police officer for one day before dying of cancer.
"We took him on as an honorary officer. He was diagnosed with cancer and inevitably he lost the battle. But we wanted to help him make the best of what he had left and honoring him and having him become an honorary police officer for a day," Derby said. "What he has given me is what you see before us — to keep giving back to the community. That's what he did until his last days. He kept giving more and more and more."
Derby credited Forte for being an inspiration to him in taking a more active role outside of the cruiser and inside the community. The Dower Square basketball hoop project is the first project he took up in the memory of Forte.
"It is really because of him. He could have been here. It was something that I think would mean something to him," Derby said, adding that many of the children who will use the court were classmates of Forte.
The Hoops Not Crime initiative stemmed from Gainesville, Fla., Officer Bobby White who has since created the Basketball Cop Foundation. Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn met White last year and returned to the Berkshires to connect White with Derby. Wynn told Derby about a court White built in Flordia and Derby took it from there.
Meanwhile, the Basketball Cop Foundation sent Derby a basketball hoop to distribute somewhere in the community. Derby posted his Hoops Not Crime efforts on Facebook and it took off. Companies and community members jumped at the idea, donating basketballs and hoops and more to aid Derby's efforts.
"It started out with one hoop from the Basketball Cop Foundation. From there, we posted on social media and people said 'why not join in?' In total we have 15 hoops, nine have been placed in the community with another six to go," Derby said.
Officer Darren Derby headed the effort and, of course, had to play a game with the children who came out for the ribbon cutting.
"I wanted to give the kids somewhere where can come out and be kids. What they had wasn't big enough, it was muddy, there were puddles everywhere. So I made a couple of phone calls," Derby said.
For the last two or so months, the businesses volunteered time and supplies to build the new court.
"It speaks highly to the culture of our agency and it speak highly to [Derby's] character," Wynn said.
Tyer said the volunteers stepping up to build the court symbolizes all of Pittsfield — a city filled with people willing and wanting to do something that brings "hope and joy" to the young. On Tuesday, Tyer didn't shoot any hoops but made sure to speak and chat with the children out there playing.
"Nothing makes me happier than seeing all of these kids playing together on a summer day in their neighborhood. They put down all of the digital technology. They walked away from their TV's and they are outside playing with each other," Tyer said.
While the construction of the court is a nice thing to do, it also serves another purpose. The Hoops Not Crime initiative breaks down barriers between the community members and those sworn to protect them.
"It is building a relationship with a police officer that is built on friendship. A police officer comes into a neighborhood and it is not something to fear but something to look forward to," Tyer said. "That's a big part of what our city needs in terms of building relationships."
Wynn said anytime other departments have tried to force community policing efforts, they've fallen short. Community policing is a philosophy — not a directive — that the chief encourages all of his officers to adopt.
"Anywhere there has been a formal community policing program, community policing hasn't taken root. When you rely on one or two officers to try to implement community policing, it becomes an overtime generator. Community policing is supposed to be a philosophy. It is a philosophy when the department recognizes that we work in concert with the community. We can't do what we need to do from a law enforcement point of view without the community. We have to do our part to address the underlying climate and needs of the community," Wynn said.
Wynn said officers are encouraged to take ownership of their beats and that's what Derby has done with this project.
"I'm incredibly impressed and proud of all of my officers. But, particularly Officer Derby with this project," Wynn said.
Tyer is supportive of the efforts as well and hopes to expand the push into other neighborhoods in the city.
"While it is not formal community policing, it is definitely relationship building. It is something I hope we can continue to expand upon and bring to other parts of the city. This is just one of the best examples of what can happen when we put investments in relationships with kids," Tyer said.
Tags: community policing, youth sports,
