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Shaq Looks to Attack Crime as Officer O'Neal

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. on September 10, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Miami has had its fair share of famous fictional law enforcement officers, like Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett in "Miami Vice" and David Caruso as Horatio Caine on "CSI: Miami"

But Miami's latest primetime lawman is all too real. Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is looking to launch a new career as a reserve police officer in the Miami suburb of Doral, reports the Miami Herald. The 7-foot-1 former center for the Miami Heat applied for the position last week, meeting with the police chief and posing for pictures with members of the City Council.

If he passes the application process and tests required for the position, will Shaq actually be a real police officer?

Reserve Officer Duties

According to a 2012 job posting by the City of Doral, the reserve police officer performs many of the same duties a full-time police officer might perform. These include motorized patrol, traffic control and enforcement, accident investigation, crime scene work, and serving writs in criminal proceedings.

The posting also states that the reserve police officer is expected to respond to a variety of calls that require "several intervention approaches ranging from personal counseling techniques to the use of deadly force."

Previous Law Enforcement Experience

The requirements for the position include past law enforcement experience. Fortunately for Shaq, this isn't his first foray into law enforcement. He was a reserve police officer in Miami Beach in 2005, where he worked with current Doral Police Chief Don De Lucca, who was the police chief in Miami Beach during O'Neal's time as an officer there.

O'Neal also has some experience enforcing laws in court. In 2010 O'Neal sued an Arizona website for copyright infringement after the site began operating an online store called "Shaqtus Orange Clothing Co." O'Neal was known as "The Big Shaqtus" during a brief stint with the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

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