Cop scores touchdown with Germantown kids, extra points on Facebook

Philadelphia Police Officer Sean Cave has unintentionally become a wide receiver - of praise, that is - after his game of street football with a group of young boys Monday in Germantown was posted to social media.

Facebook user Melanie Wright posted two photos and a video of Cave playing with the boys on Memorial Day.

"As I sat & watched," her caption read, "this cop got my nephews & a few other boys together & played football with them, for a long while. Then he sat them down & talked to them about doing well in school & not getting into trouble. He let the kids get in the front of the car & then turn on the lights & sirens. #PPDLOVE Great job today guys!!"

Cave, 42, a nine-year veteran of the 14th District and a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, said he got the football idea when he was in the unit block of West Pomona Street and saw some boys running in between cars and standing on a spiked fence.

"I thought it was dangerous but I didn't want to just say, 'Don't do this!' so I went to the store and bought a Nerf football," Cave said.

When he returned, one of the boys had a real football, but before Cave got the game going, he had all the kids stand along a wall and raise their right hands. He did a "swearing in" of the young men, in which they pledged not to touch guns or drugs. He then posed a difficult question to the boys.

"I asked them to look at my uniform and tell me what part they thought I used the most," he said. "They said handcuffs, baton, gun, they all got stumped, even the adults."

It was then that Cave took out his pen.

"It's the most important tool because I always have to write some sort of documentation saying I've done some sort of action," he said. "And that leads into me telling them about how important it is to do well in school."

Cave also let the kids get inside his patrol car and touch the lights, siren, and radio.

He said the group of six kids soon grew to 12.

"It was good for them as young African-American men to look at me and say, 'This is something I can relate to and aspire to,' it's not like something you see on TV. I'm living, I'm breathing, and you can ask me questions," Cave said.

"What they hear in songs or what they hear others say about the police at a young age, that seed is planted and they grow with that. However, with this, they now start to see us through different eyes."

As of Thursday, the video of Cave's game with the kids had more than 271,000 views, and Wright's post, also posted by Philadelphia police, had been shared more than 8,000 times.

Cave said he was surprised by the response.

"I'm sure there are thousands of more officers out there that do this every single day and they don't get the recognition," he said.

Cave then dared Philadelphia's grown-ups to break down their preconceptions about the city's kids.

"If I could challenge the adults of the city – regardless of race, religion, or creed – let's try something this summer," Cave said. "Use 20 or 30 minutes each day to do something with the kids in your neighborhood, try something proactive that will inspire them instead of ignoring them and being reactive."

farrs@phillynews.com

215-854-4225 @FarFarrAway