The Akron Police Dept’s Service and Protection Now Brought to You By LeBron James

I know, I know ... it’s great PR for NBA players to do things with cops. Especially when, like it or not, much of the public still perceives our nation’s pros as hedonistic outlaws.↵
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↵But, from the “LeBron James runs the universe” files, here’s one such move I’m a little uneasy about. From The Morning Journal:↵↵⇥Akron’s police department is getting some new wheels, courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James. He’s making a donation to the force of 10 bicycles used last month in his annual “King for Kids” bike-a-thon fund-raiser.↵⇥
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↵⇥The Cannondale brand bikes have James’ name emblazoned on them. They’ll be outfitted with disc brakes, shocks, lights and sirens so they can be used by police for patrolling.↵↵So the Akron police are going to prowl the streets with “LEBRON JAMES” on the side of their be-spoked rides? It’s true, as the article notes, that bike policing brings law enforcement into better contact with civilians, though it’s not quite as accessible as walking a beat (Note to LBJ: Get those foot patrols some Foot Patrols!). In a sense, this sets up LeBron as the bridge between The People and The Man.↵
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↵Then again, you’ve got cops on patrol that look like they’re under the aegis of LeBron, the NBA’s very own answer to Blackwater. Outfitting the University of Akron Team is in the grand tradition of sponsoring AAU teams. Except James needs a full-fledged institution of higher learning for his master plan, which of course involves an entire line of gear and kicks. Putting LeBron’s name on the cops, though, makes you kind of relieved that ↵Arenas turned “The Takeover” into his jargon. It would make a zillion times more ↵sense for James Inc., but also would’ve made this civic-minded revolution even ↵more sinister.↵