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Holdin' It Down in the TPA with Officer L. White
from volume 01 issue 07 // Aubrey Bramble
Holdin' It Down in the TPA with Officer L. White
Words: Aubrey Bramble
Photos: Aubrey Bramble
Go to prom with a smile; don't come back with a child...
With lyrics like these (from the aptly entitled, The Prom Song), Officer L. White of the Tampa Police Department wants you to know that crime prevention does not just involve COPS-esque drama, painfully dull auditorium speeches, or unnerving advertising campaigns designed to keep YOU safe from THEM. Instead, Officer White has made it his life's work to educate and inspire the youth (and some of us adults, too) through a medium we can all dig: music.
Currently a resource officer at a local West Tampa high school, White is frequently seen rapping his way through the halls, popping into a classroom for an impromptu performance, or lifting the spirits of the front office staff with a little mid-morning sing-a-long. When not out in the field keeping the bad guys at bay, White performs at local schools and community events in both Hillsborough County and other areas of the state, and through this innovative outreach he has acquired quite a name for himself.
Officer White currently has two full-length releases available for purchase; one directed at the younger kids, and one for us, well, older people. Covering topics as simple as getting good grades and buckling up to more weighty issues of racism and physical abuse, his music can teach us all a little something useful.
REAX: What inspired you to start writing the kind of music you write?
Officer L. White: The answer is not just to arrest everybody for every little thing. So I tried to come up with a different approach to giving out messages, so I came out with this song, Don't Fight, Just Get Along. I think that was around '98. I would sing it on the patio during lunch time, during pep assemblies and stuff like that until the kids caught onto it. As you know, they catch on very fast. And then, sometimes when two kids would be in an argument, instead of just going up there and yelling or something, I would start singing, "don't fight," and other kids would sing, "just get along!"
REAX: How did the other raps come about?
LW: Every song that I have, a particular situation inspired me to write. For example Your GPA Won't Let You Play: When I first got to this school, our basketball team was not very good. A lot of the better players couldn't play because of their GPA. So I started thinking about certain things, putting words together like, "you would not hear what the coach had to say; you will not dress and you cannot play; you're not really looking forward to that big game day; your GPA won't let you play."
REAX: What do the other officers on the force think about your music and your mission?
LW: Most of the officers who are kind of young think it's a good idea. They think it's been proactive. But some of the older - what we call "dinosaurs" - think you can only do police work one way. But crime prevention is part of police work, and that's the angle I'm approaching from my songs.
REAX: Do you think that since you've embarked on your journey you've noticed a decrease in crime; do you think it works?
LW: I really think that it works and I think it's effective. Half of the kids at this school know most of my songs and they'll just be singing to them and having a lot of fun. It sticks in the backs of their heads. You're gonna have some kids that don't care what you do, but for the majority of kids this is a fun way to remember to stay out of trouble.
REAX: Have you ever had students come up to you and thank you for a message that you've put out?
LW: All the time, all the time. My wife and I were at a restaurant and this kid from 11 or 12 years ago came up to me and I didn't remember him. He told me, "Officer White, I remember you from middle school. And those songs you used to sing used to keep me out of trouble. You know, you really inspired us." And that's, you know, how I get my gratitude.
REAX: If you had one message to get out, what would it be?
LW: People need to be careful of the words to the songs that they hear. Songs used to have meanings, but now you hear some songs that don't make any sense. All my songs are inspired; they either educate or motivate. So I would like for people to listen to my songs and apply what they hear, and benefit from it so that they can make positive choices.
Class dismissed
Words: Aubrey Bramble
Photos: Aubrey Bramble
Go to prom with a smile; don't come back with a child...
With lyrics like these (from the aptly entitled, The Prom Song), Officer L. White of the Tampa Police Department wants you to know that crime prevention does not just involve COPS-esque drama, painfully dull auditorium speeches, or unnerving advertising campaigns designed to keep YOU safe from THEM. Instead, Officer White has made it his life's work to educate and inspire the youth (and some of us adults, too) through a medium we can all dig: music.
Currently a resource officer at a local West Tampa high school, White is frequently seen rapping his way through the halls, popping into a classroom for an impromptu performance, or lifting the spirits of the front office staff with a little mid-morning sing-a-long. When not out in the field keeping the bad guys at bay, White performs at local schools and community events in both Hillsborough County and other areas of the state, and through this innovative outreach he has acquired quite a name for himself.
Officer White currently has two full-length releases available for purchase; one directed at the younger kids, and one for us, well, older people. Covering topics as simple as getting good grades and buckling up to more weighty issues of racism and physical abuse, his music can teach us all a little something useful.
REAX: What inspired you to start writing the kind of music you write?
Officer L. White: The answer is not just to arrest everybody for every little thing. So I tried to come up with a different approach to giving out messages, so I came out with this song, Don't Fight, Just Get Along. I think that was around '98. I would sing it on the patio during lunch time, during pep assemblies and stuff like that until the kids caught onto it. As you know, they catch on very fast. And then, sometimes when two kids would be in an argument, instead of just going up there and yelling or something, I would start singing, "don't fight," and other kids would sing, "just get along!"
REAX: How did the other raps come about?
LW: Every song that I have, a particular situation inspired me to write. For example Your GPA Won't Let You Play: When I first got to this school, our basketball team was not very good. A lot of the better players couldn't play because of their GPA. So I started thinking about certain things, putting words together like, "you would not hear what the coach had to say; you will not dress and you cannot play; you're not really looking forward to that big game day; your GPA won't let you play."
REAX: What do the other officers on the force think about your music and your mission?
LW: Most of the officers who are kind of young think it's a good idea. They think it's been proactive. But some of the older - what we call "dinosaurs" - think you can only do police work one way. But crime prevention is part of police work, and that's the angle I'm approaching from my songs.
REAX: Do you think that since you've embarked on your journey you've noticed a decrease in crime; do you think it works?
LW: I really think that it works and I think it's effective. Half of the kids at this school know most of my songs and they'll just be singing to them and having a lot of fun. It sticks in the backs of their heads. You're gonna have some kids that don't care what you do, but for the majority of kids this is a fun way to remember to stay out of trouble.
REAX: Have you ever had students come up to you and thank you for a message that you've put out?
LW: All the time, all the time. My wife and I were at a restaurant and this kid from 11 or 12 years ago came up to me and I didn't remember him. He told me, "Officer White, I remember you from middle school. And those songs you used to sing used to keep me out of trouble. You know, you really inspired us." And that's, you know, how I get my gratitude.
REAX: If you had one message to get out, what would it be?
LW: People need to be careful of the words to the songs that they hear. Songs used to have meanings, but now you hear some songs that don't make any sense. All my songs are inspired; they either educate or motivate. So I would like for people to listen to my songs and apply what they hear, and benefit from it so that they can make positive choices.
Class dismissed
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