The Arlington County Police Department has gotten national and international attention after a video of its officers performing a synchronized swimming routine went viral.
The video, to advertise the third annual Police, Fire and Sheriff Block Party on August 26, has put the department in the spotlight, with the likes of ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight showing it to a national audience.
Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage said all four major networks — NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX — all reached out to ask for permission to use the video, with ABC’s national Facebook post receiving more than 1.8 million views.
There have also been attempts to recreate the routine, too, from local news anchors in Texas, while police departments even further afield in places like Australia and the United Kingdom have given the video international exposure.
In a radio interview with WFTL in South Florida, Sgt. Damon Washington, one of the officers who throws themselves in the pool in full uniform to perform, said the department never planned to go viral. Instead, he said, they just wanted to engage local people in their work.
“In all honesty, we didn’t do this to go viral,” Washington said. “Me and our guys really care about the community we serve. It’s one of our initiatives, and one of the [Police Chief Jay Farr’s] initiatives is community engagement.”
Washington said the department gave the pool video, and the series of other light-hearted videos promoting the block party, its full support.
The department released another video today (below) to advertise the block party. This time, officers and firefighters are shown enjoying themselves while washing cars. Attendees can get a voucher for a free car wash after taking a distracted driving course, one of the many activities at the block party.
“We’re a very talented group up here in Arlington County,” Washington said.
The block party will take place on August 26 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road). The event is free and will be geared towards families.