Behind the Badge
Buffalo Police Officer Patrick McDonald was about to head back to the station after responding to a noise complaint when he heard Tremail (Albert) Woolford call out to him from the street where a football game was going on.
“The quarterback in the street approached me and asked me if I played any street ball,” McDonald said.
Woolford told WGRZ he was joking when he initially asked the officer to join the game and was surprised that McDonald showed interest.
One of the bystanders on the street took videos of McDonald playing football with neighborhood kids, which has since gone viral.
“It helps break down the barrier, this ‘us versus them’ barrier. And, at the same time, it shows that police officers empathize with the general public, and that we have a lot of common interests,” McDonald said, “like playing football.”
The public was shocked that McDonald made a great catch wearing a police belt.
In regards to the catch and before driving off, McDonald joked, “Do you guys want me to file a police report, because you just got robbed?”
Woolford said he never had any issues with the police but likes that the viral video is shedding light on police officers. He even shared the video post using the hashtag #NotAllCopsAreBadIGuess.
