CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A moment captured on video featuring a Chesapeake sheriff's deputy during a community event over the weekend got the attention of the sheriff's office — and many more people on social media.
The video depicts a young girl at the Cuffee Community Center dancing it up with the deputy, who matches her move-for-move.
"This is how I'd like my kids to be able to view and trust officers!" wrote Paradise Smith, whose niece Aria appeared in the video. "Not all cops are bad."
The sheriff's office saw the post and reshared on its Facebook page with a comment:
"Deputy Saunders couldn’t resist joining a young star on the dance floor. Moments like these remind us that building trust and relationships often starts with a smile or in this case a few dance moves."
Watch the original video here
Chesapeake Neighborhood News reporter Erin Holly followed up with Deputy Alvin Saunders and with the original poster of the video, Chesapeake neighbor Paradise Smith.
"Alright, I see you, and I just had to join in, you know, and so I just had fun with her and you know, dance with her and that's, I didn't know people were recording," Saunders said.
The video quickly spread across several Chesapeake Facebook groups, but it carried a much deeper message than just entertainment.
"It just brought me back to things that have happened in the past years, more so in the recent years, where law enforcement has been looked at with a negative connotation," Smith said.
Smith shared the video hoping to change that perspective for her daughters and nieces, showing a different side of law enforcement.
Deputy Saunders understands the importance of breaking down barriers between police and the community, especially with children. He highlighted common misconceptions children may have about law enforcement.
"That we take people away. That we're you know, that we're scary, bad people, that you know. We're not scary, we're people just like you know, mom and dad. We have children too. You know, we dance, we go out, we have fun, we do some of the same things, right," Saunders said.
Smith said the moment reminded her that officers are human beings first.
"He wasn't just on duty, or on-call. He was a dad. He had his daughter there. He was a dad. He was dancing. He didn't only dance with his daughter. He danced with my daughter, he danced with my niece and it was just a reminder that they are all human," Smith said.
The connection didn't end with the viral video. Deputy Saunders surprised Smith a few days later with gifts of school supplies and toys for her daughters and niece, further strengthening the community bond.
"It warmed my heart even more. I'm just like 'oh my God!' Like it was a shock to see him, I'm glad to see him, and I hope we can keep him around some more," Smith said.
The dancing deputy's spontaneous moment of joy has become a powerful reminder that positive police-community relationships can start with simple human connections.
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