Watch: Cop's Noise Complaint Response A Slam Dunk

GAINESVILLE, FL — The Gainesville Police Department has a message for curmudgeons who want to get in the way of kids having innocent fun.

“We’re going to let kids be kids,” the agency posted on Facebook in reference to a noise complaint call it received Jan. 15. The caller, it seems, was upset over a group of children playing basketball “loudly” in the streets, the post explained. The kids were playing, “In the evening. Having fun. Not committing crimes.”

When Officer Bobby White arrived on the scene, it didn’t take him long to figure out the kids had broken no laws and they weren’t disturbing the peace at 5 p.m. on a Friday.

Rather than run them in, White got out of his cruiser, admired the hoop and began shooting a few baskets himself. It didn’t take too long for a large group of kids to appear in the street to test White’s skills. A dash cam video released by the agency shows White and the kids in action.

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“Just do me a favor,” White is heard on the video telling the kids before he returned to the beat. “Obviously, I have no problem with you playing basketball in the streets, but if you can just try not to be too loud. Have fun.”

White also promised to round up some “backup” for a rematch the next night.

“Let’s get a little game going out here tomorrow night,” he said.

It’s unclear just how the Gainesville cops fared in that rematch, but it is clear the police department backed White’s play 100 percent.

“So, if you call GPD to complain about kids being kids, this is how Officer White is going to handle it,” the agency promised. “We’re going to let kids be kids. We are going to focus on the ones that commit crimes.”

Facebook video screenshot