As part of World Baseball Network’s sponsorship of the 4th Annual Party With the Police: BBQ & Pool Party, actor and philanthropist Nick Loeb sat down with longtime broadcaster Ed Randall for a candid conversation about the meaning behind the event, his personal ties to law enforcement, and why the baseball community continues to show up in support of local officers and their families.
The annual event, hosted by the Nick Loeb Foundation at his private residence in Purchase, New York, brought together New York Mets and Yankees legends, including Dwight “Doc” Gooden, Mookie Wilson, Howard Johnson, Ray Negron, Roy White, and Jim Leyritz. It aims to raise scholarship funds for the children of police officers, many of whom don’t qualify for financial aid despite the financial challenges faced by first responder families.
World Baseball Network was proud to sponsor this year’s event as part of our Baseball Without Borders® initiative, highlighting the intersection of baseball, community, and public service.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ed Randall — longtime baseball broadcaster for SiriusXM, WFAN, and the YES Network, and the founder of Fans for the Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to prostate cancer awareness — spoke with Loeb about the origins of the event, how it has grown, and why building bridges between police officers and their communities still matters.
Randall, whose own work blends baseball and philanthropy, praised the event as “one of the more meaningful gatherings I’ve seen — where the game of baseball serves as the backdrop for something much bigger.”
“This all started because I have a personal connection to law enforcement,” said Loeb. “I wanted to find a way to bring people together — not just police, but the communities they serve.”
The full transcript of the interview between Nick Loeb and Ed Randall follows below.
Ed Randall: Hi everybody. I’m Ed Randall, here with Nick Loeb. This is your baby—how did this come to be?
Nick Loeb: Four years ago, I decided to throw a small barbecue for the Harrison police officers where I live. It was meant as a thank-you. We had a slip-and-slide, some stuff for their kids and families, and they had the best time. I realized these guys are just like us—big kids, really. I thought the community needed to understand that police officers aren’t any different than the rest of us.
I’ve also been a police officer myself, and I saw a struggle: education for their children. They make good salaries, so they don’t qualify for financial aid, but they also don’t make enough to send their kids to private colleges that cost $60,000 or $70,000 a year. Many of them have two or three kids. They’re stuck in the middle.
So the next year, I invited the community as well. We charged at the door, made it a fun event, and used the money for scholarships for police officers’ children who wanted to attend schools outside their financial reach. We started that three years ago. The first scholarship was $25,000. Last year, we gave two kids $30,000 each—one from White Plains, a daughter of a police officer, and one from Harrison. Now Harrison, White Plains, and Greenwich are all involved.
Ed Randall: What drew you to being a police officer in the first place?
Nick Loeb: After 9/11, a few close friends joined the military. I thought about doing that too, but I had a business and didn’t want to give that up for four years. I also didn’t want my friends to outrank me—that would’ve been horrible.
I found a program with the LA County Sheriff’s Department where you could attend the academy on nights and weekends. After 850 hours of training—the same as any full-time cop—you could serve part-time. You weren’t paid, but you went on patrol and did everything other officers did.
I did that for several years, then transferred to Louisiana where I worked plainclothes narcotics as a deputy sheriff. Now, I’m still a reserve constable in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Ed Randall: So your experience really lends itself to this event because you’ve lived it.
Nick Loeb: Yes, I’ve lived it. I have friends in law enforcement—some from LA, others from Louisiana, even my former boss comes up each year. I’ve also built strong relationships with officers in my own community. They’re fantastic people.
This whole “defund the police” movement, especially with it happening again in New York City, is scary.
Ed Randall: What do you think needs to be done to change that perception?
Nick Loeb: I’m trying to do that through this event. When I was a kid—even in New York City—we all knew our local cops. I knew the cop on the beat.
Today, because of how transient our society is, those relationships are gone. Last year, someone I knew got pulled over. When they rolled down the window, they recognized each other from the party. That instantly brought down the tension.
That’s what I’m trying to do—help the community get to know these officers. You’ll see them with their kids on a water slide, just like you and me. They’re not monsters. They’re human.
Everyone makes mistakes. But in my experience, I’ve never met an officer who said, “I want to hurt or kill people.” Never. So I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt. When the community knows them, they’re more likely to support them if something happens. They’ll say, “No, I know Joe. He wouldn’t do that.”
Ed Randall: In a perfect world, what would you like to see?
Nick Loeb: Peace. And a return to respecting police officers. We used to obey and respect them. Now, the disrespect is out of control. I’ve seen it myself.
I know we live in a world now where we’re all supposed to smile and hug, but police officers aren’t supposed to be your friends. They’re there to protect you, not to play basketball with you. They’re like parents—they’re not your friends. They hold a level of authority. And I wish we could get back to that.
Ed Randall: Thanks so much, and congratulations on a wonderful event.
Nick Loeb: Thank you.
