Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal waits to speak as he attends a panel discussion on "Drug-Impaired Driving: The Challenges Facing Law Enforcement" as a reserve officer of Doral Police Department in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Nov. 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, attended a panel here on Wednesday, calling for more work to be done in the fight against impaired driving.
"Keeping our roads safe from impaired driving is a top priority to me," O'Neal said in the panel "Recognizing Law Enforcement's Critical Role in the Fight Against Impaired Driving," which was held by the Foundation for the Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.
"Identifying drug-impaired drivers can be very difficult, time-consuming and costly. That's why we are working to make Congress more aware of the difficulties officers face and what can be done to help make our roads and communities safer," O'Neal said.
O'Neal, the Basketball Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Lakers center, who became a reserve police officer for the Doral, Florida, police department in 2015, was enlisted by the Foundation last year to help with its project to stop traffic fatalities from impaired driving, especially due to drugs or alcohol.
While playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s, O'Neal went through the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Reserve Academy and became a reserve officer with the Los Angeles Port Police. On March 2, 2005, O'Neal was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal title and served an honorary role on the task force to track down sexual predators who target children on the Internet.
