Police officers have a difficult, often thankless job where they have to preserve the safety of their community and the rights of the accused, and must prove to fellow officers that they are capable of accomplishing both tasks.
The officer featured is Detective Sergeant Gary Sanders of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department in Tacoma, Washington. In a clip posted by the Department on their YouTube channel, Sanders seemingly responds to a noise complaint made against a local dance studio in 2018.
One way police officers prove their dedication to the communities that they protect and serve is by going into said communities and interacting with the people making them up.
The video begins like a typical episode of COPS (which filmed many episodes in the area), with Sanders entering the studio and ordering the dancers (which consist of young women ranging from elementary-schoolers to young adults) to turn off the music.
The dancers, who were having a dance party, don’t seem too happy to have Sanders telling them that they’re being too loud and that he’s going to write them a ticket. However, the dancers had another idea: they decided to challenge Det. Sgt. Sanders to a dance-off!
Soon, Sanders and other police deputies square off against the dancers, now wearing Tacoma Rainiers baseball jerseys. Then the dance-off begins. While the officers make a valiant effort, they’re no match for the skilled young ladies who easily best them with their dancing prowess.
The dancers eventually make their way into Cheney Stadium, where the city’s minor league team plays home games. There, the victorious dancers take the ticket Sanders had written for them and do something that may or may not warrant a citation for littering.
This lighthearted video was a collaboration made by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and Image Dance Studios. Their goal was simple: show different people from within the community coming together and having fun.
At the end of the video, there is a touching thank-you note to the three sons of Daniel McCartney, a local officer who tragically lost his life in the line of duty earlier in the year.
Be sure to watch the video below and spread the word to everyone you know so that they too can see the importance of a community coming together and having fun. Also, feel free to tell us what you think in the comments.