CAREER SHIFT

Shaq Teams Up With Atlanta-Area Sheriff’s Office in Community Relations Role

O’Neal has been interested in working in law enforcement for years.

The former NBA player, actor and sports analyst Shaquille O’Neal will soon have a new gig. A suburban Atlanta county’s sheriff’s office says it will team up with O’Neal in order to better connect with the community. “As a part of Sheriff Scandrett’s strategic plan, bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement is paramount,” a spokesman for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “Coupled with Dr. O’Neal’s philanthropy, Scandrett and Shaq have a specific plan to begin uniting the Henry County community,” he said.

Shaq will officially be the department’s director of community relations. He already has a modest law enforcement career; in 2016 he was sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy in a different Georgia county, and he’s been a reserve officer on multiple occasions, including for Miami Beach, the Port of Los Angeles and elsewhere. In 2017 he said he planned to run for sheriff in Henry County in either 2020 or 2024.