Basketball game fosters trust between NYPD and students on and off the court

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- On Tuesday at Legacy School of the Arts in East New York, Brooklyn, a special basketball game is changing the way students see the NYPD.

The event, organized in partnership with the NYPD Youth Division, is part of a broader effort to bridge the gap between young people and law enforcement.

Denee Brown, the parent coordinator at the school, explains why this matters: “Being able to bridge the gap between NYPD and the students is very, very important.”

Brown played a key role in bringing the program to Legacy School of the Arts. “Officer Cutler had put up a post saying he was doing some amazing things. I reached out to him. He came here at Legacy School of the Arts, where his partner Officer White, and from then on it was Magic, almost like magic.”

She was determined to make a difference and build trust within the school community. “I actually had to reach out to each and every parent. This is how real it was about not trusting officers.”

Leading the event, Officer Joseph Cutler took to the court and played alongside students, fostering connections both on and off the basketball court. He reflects on the impact: “Now, at the end of the school year, we are in touch with these kids, their parents, their teachers, the principals, parent coordinators, and it’s just a wonderful thing. These kids call us to tell us the problems they’re having. They ask us for help. And when we walk into the schools now, they come and they greet us with hugs and handshakes, and it’s like, we’re really best friends now.”

Linden Hislop, assistant principal at Legacy School of the Arts, also sees the benefits: “It’s actually something that helps our attendance increase where kids are so excited about it, they want to participate.”

Meanwhile, officers may have taken the win on the court, but it was the students who received medals—another sign of a growing shift, as Brown says, students and families are seeing police in a new light.

Brown adds, “Not only are they there for the students, but if the parents need, they have the number accessible to them as well.”

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