Basketball game with cops leads kids to assist in arrest

About two weeks ago, after responding to a call of a domestic dispute at Crossroads apartment complex, two Dartmouth police officers decided to join some neighborhood kids in a basketball game. Part of the mission of the department is to be active in the community, and Patrol Officers Shawn Souza and Dave Oikarinen thought they could have a positive impact on the kids' lives while having a little fun with the youngsters.

“I remember telling Dave, ‘One day, that will come back to us,’” said Souza.

Just about a week later, it did.

On April 24, Souza responded alone to a call of a man having shoplifted a television from WalMart on Route 6. After a brief chase, Souza tracked the man to the same complex, and the same kids who joined the officers in a basketball game the week before were able to help him locate the suspect at 600 Crossroads Drive.

“I saw him go into 600, but as I came around the corner, (the kids) said, ‘He’s over there, Shawn.’ One of the kids went around back, and said, ‘I’ll make sure he doesn’t come out the other side.’ Then I ran in and grabbed him.”

The officers said that at first, when they asked the kids to join their game, the young ball players were apprehensive.

“They didn't know what to think,” he said.

“It was just kind of funny how it happened,” recalled Oikarinen. “As we were rounding the cul-de-sac, (Officer Souza) and I just had a two-minute meeting. We said, ‘We should go up there and challenge those kids to a game of basketball.’ At first (the kids) were like, ‘Uh-oh. What’s going on?’ And we were like, ‘We got next.’”

From there, it was a fast friendship for the group, and it even turned into a neighborhood event of sorts. Parents came out and took photos. Younger kids asked the officers to join in games with them. But most importantly, a bond was built with the community.

“They enjoyed it,” said Souza. “You can definitely tell the kids were happy. Their attitudes changed.”

“Building the relationships that we did was key,” said Oikarinen. "Before we left, we were all high-five-ing. When we were pulling out, they were all yelling 'Bye, Shawn! Bye Dave!'”

“We beeped our air horn and took off,” said Souza, noting that when he saw the kids during the chase, they remembered his name, calling to him as they pointed out the suspect. “I was impressed.”

“I think it’s great,” said Sergeant James Storey, one of the officers’ supervisors. "They went above and beyond playing basketball. We expect and encourage officers to make themselves known around town, interact a little and get a feel for the community. What they did is far and beyond what is expected and required. They went out of their way to embrace a group of kids, and because of that they saw officer Souza and helped him out. Those kids deserve to be recognized, and so do the officers.”