Florence Police mentor through sports

Florence Police Lt. George Mack gives basketball instruction to Shaniqua McCants and Shamiayah Barns during the police department’s Youth Basketball Camp at Southside Middle School on Monday in Florence. The camp teaches basketball skills to campers. It also features a classroom program called Community Works, where campers can talk freely and learn about issues in the community.

By: Jamie Rogers | SCNow
Published: July 02, 2008

Several Florence Police officers are spending their summer dribbling into the hearts and minds of the children enrolled in the department’s Summer Youth Basketball Camp.

The camp, which began June 9, is held weekly at Southside Middle School, said Florence Police Chief Anson Shells.

The camp mainly is a tool police use to mentor community children and deter them from engaging in violence and gang activity, he said.

Seven police officers at the camp teach the participants the fundamentals of the sport, he said. At the end of each day, the participants perfect their skills by participating in scrimmages against each other.

But police said the camp is about more than putting a ball through a hoop. That’s because participants also learn how the department operates.

“A lot of kids love basketball. Basketball is a good draw,” he said. “They learn about law enforcement and basically that law enforcement is more than just chasing down the bad guys.”

Much of what the 48 participants learn mirrors what is taught in the department’s citizen’s police academy, he said.

“We show them all the tools we have, such as forensic science, the SWAT team and victim assistance,” he said. “We teach them pretty much anything that comprises the police department.”

The participants and the officers also engage in open discussions about whatever problems the children may be facing.

“It’s during these sessions where we really learn what’s on kids’ minds,” he said. “It’s one of the most favorite parts (of the camp.) They get a chance to talk about what’s going in their lives; everybody enjoys that, it seems.”

Camp participants range in age from 10 to 18, he said. Many of the children have attended the camp for several years— some since the camp’s inception five years ago, Shells said.

The variation in ages allows children to develop their social skills by having positive interactions with one another, he said.

Police said this year’s group is the largest one in the camp’s history. The camp can accommodate as many as about 50 children. The camp will conclude July 31.

Applications for the camp are available at the Florence Police Department, Southside Middle School and Williams Middle School as well as Savannah Grove, Dewey L. Carter and Greenwood Elementary Schools.

For details on the Florence Police Department’s Summer Youth Basketball Camp, call (843) 665-3650.