The San Diego Police Department is getting in on the latest internet dance craze — and not just to show off their moves.
The department is the latest law enforcement agency to accept the "running man" challenge, a trend that's been sweeping the internet and has inspired police in New Zealand to set off a dance-off between law enforcement officers around the world.
In the eight-minute video posted Wednesday on YouTube, uniformed San Diego police officers and staff, including officers and their police dogs, dance the running man to the 1990s hit "My Boo" by Ghost Town DJ's.
The video shows them in various San Diego locations — from the deck of the USS Midway and the Chargers practice field to Balboa Park and of course, the beach. Perhaps most touching, the Officer Christopher Wilson Memorial Park in Skyline. Even Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman gets in on the fun. Toward the end, an invite to join the department pops up.
"We did the video as a way to show the human side of our department," police Lt. Scott Wahl said. "We have seen the other examples out there, and when Miami PD issued their challenge to us on Twitter, we decided we wanted to respond."
Wahl said that while shooting the video, many people wanted to join.
"It was really nice to see everyone having fun and smiling," he said. "When we were done, we realized how nice of a marketing moment it was for recruiting purposes. So the intent started as a way to showcase our department and city, and then it ended with a recruiting shot as we hope it inspires people to want to come to San Diego."
