When Officer Joseph Cole pulls up to a South Bend neighborhood basketball court, he doesn’t lead with questions. He doesn’t start with citations. Instead, he pops the trunk.
Inside, there’s no riot gear. Just a box of basketball nets and a few fresh basketballs. It’s an unusual inventory for a cruiser, but Cole isn’t interested in writing tickets. He’s here to change the game.
What began as a casual observation during patrol of kids playing basketball with missing nets has evolved into a personal mission. A former collegiate basketball player, Officer Cole understands the quiet poetic sounds of a perfect swish, where the game becomes something more than a sport; it’s a language of belonging.
“I’d just see kids playing,” he says. “And I’d stop and shoot around with them. It was natural. No agenda. It’s just me, them, and the game.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person interaction dramatically declined. But for Cole, the drive to stay connected never left. That’s when he began bringing Kobe Bryant books to the parks, all of which he purchased out of pocket. In each, he scribbled a personal message: “People take care of people. —Officer J. Cole.”
Soon, books became nets. Nets became conversations. Conversations became moments.
“There’s just something about putting up a new net,” Cole says. “It gives a kid purpose. Something to show up for. That ‘swish,’ it hits different.”
For years, Cole had done this on his dime and between calls. His body camera, which activates during all interactions, began capturing snippets of the impact: laughter on a court, hesitant kids turned into teammates, and neighboring parents offering nods instead of nervous glances.
Yet for all the physical gestures, the nets, the books, the balls, it’s the invisible ones that matter more.
“I don’t say, ‘If you see something, say something.’ I’m just there. They can sense that I’m not coming across as a cop. I’m showing up as Joe.”
When asked what he’d tell his 12-year-old self on one of those courts, Cole responds with, “Keep caring about others and everything else takes care of itself.”
It’s a mantra that’s carried him through many years of law enforcement, a field that often revolves around worst-case scenarios. For Cole, community isn’t something you visit; it’s a place of belonging.
“To me, community means doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return,” he explains. “If we all did that, things would naturally come full circle.”
Cole’s approach has shifted perceptions, especially among teens who admit they’ve had negative experiences with police in the past. “But then they meet Joe on the court,” he says. “And the next time they talk to an officer, they’re a little more open and willing to listen.” This transformation is a testament to the power of connection.
It’s not a formal program or initiative. It’s just who Officer Cole is, and it’s genuine.
Still, his movement has rippled outward. Residents have begun donating nets, hoops, and even complete basketball sets. One sent an Amazon package to the department. Others drop by with words of support.
Music also plays a role. When the vibe’s right, Cole cranks up his car stereo to J. Cole, the artist, not himself. The name overlap is just the icebreaker.
“It’s funny. When they realize my name’s Joe Cole, the conversation shifts,” says Cole. “Suddenly, we’re not strangers anymore. We’re just people, on the same level, speaking the same language.”
Cole doesn’t claim to have all the answers. He knows violence won’t vanish overnight, and every court visit won’t transform lives. But he keeps showing up anyway.
“You can’t worry about the results,” Cole says. “If you’re doing it for an outcome, that’s not the point. You show up because it’s the right thing to do. The rest will come.”
In South Bend, one officer is rewriting the playbook with presence. And in the process, he’s reminding a city that community isn’t built by rank or role, but by being a human first.
To support Officer Cole’s basketball movement, drop off donations of new nets, basketballs, or portable hoops at the South Bend Police Department, 701 W. Sample Street, South Bend, IN. ATTN: Officer Joe Cole. For questions, email jacole@southbendin.gov.
