An Idaho police officer is getting involved in the community in an unconventional way.

BOISE (KBOI) — Boise Police Officer Benavides is not new to skateboarding. It is a hobby he first picked up in middle school.

“I think I was about 13, 12 years old. It was a good way to get from point A to point B because I couldn’t drive,” he says. As Officer Benavides got older, he slowly moved away from the sport before deciding to get back into it when he moved to Boise.

“I just picked up skating again because… it’s beautiful weather out here,” Officer Benavides adds. “They have a really nice skatepark, so you know what, I’m 30, why not do something cool again?”

He says getting the basics down again was simple, like riding a bike, but skating with his gear on makes it more difficult. “This stuff is heavy. The vest, the gun belt. You don’t get as low of a squat as you want.” He likes to learn from other skaters at the park and help people new to the sport.

Officer Benavides does not always have time to stop by the park on duty, but he keeps his skateboard in his patrol car just in case. “It’s 5 to 10 minutes at the most. It’s just a nice little break while you’re in uniform,” he says.

In and out of uniform, Officer Benavides is ready to protect and serve in any way he can.