Dallas Cowboys owner offers free tickets to North Little Rock officers

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with Cowboys fans prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with Cowboys fans prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a North Little Rock native, has extended an offer for officers in his hometown to attend one of the team’s remaining football games this season free of charge.

Michael Gibbons, president of the North Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, said the invitation came after a meeting with Jones during a game a few weeks ago.

All of the police force's 178 officers were given the offer, complete with transportation, hotel accommodations and game tickets for them and immediate family members, Gibbons said.

"We talked about what officers do on the streets. [Jones] was real appreciative of that, and realizes it's not just one officer," he told Arkansas Online of the meeting with Jones.

As of Wednesday, more than 100 officers with the North Little Rock Police Department had signed on to attend one of the five remaining home games before the regular football season ends New Year's Day.

Gibbons said in a letter Monday that Jones' gift comes at a time when officers feel "immense scrutiny," some deserved and understandable, because of recent events involving law enforcement officials across the U.S.

The first group of officers will fly out this weekend for a Sunday night game, when the Cowboys will take on the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Travel accommodations, including whether the officers will be flown or use ground transportation, have not been set for the other games.

Gibbons said the two largest groups will attend the Cowboys' home games Nov. 20 and Dec. 18 against the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.

Some of the remaining officers will not be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts and the need to serve North Little Rock, Gibbons said. An exact number was not available.

The monetary value of Jones' offer was not immediately clear.

Jones was born in Los Angeles but moved to North Little Rock, where he spent the remainder of his childhood and became a running back in high school. He later graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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