ML police, community join in lip-sync challenge
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald MLPD Officer Rick Francis grooves the cha-cha Thursday evening.
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald Police chase 13-year-old Lain Wurl, who wore his dinosaur costume to the lip-sync video shoot in McCosh Park on Thursday, as part of a photo shoot.
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald An MLPD officer exchanges high-fives with the audience at the lip-sync challenge Thursday.
MOSES LAKE — When the Longview Police Department challenged the Moses Lake Police Department to do a lip-sync video, it was something the MLPD simply couldn’t say no to.
“The challenge was issued a while ago, and we had to decide whether to respond,” said Police Chief Kevin Fuhr. “Officer (Rick) Francis came and asked about doing it, so I said if you want to do it, take charge, and get some people together.”
So, a couple hundred folks gathered in the bandshell at McCosh Park on Thursday to dance to the song “Cha-Cha Slide” by Mr. C with the police.
It was just one stop the MLPD made that evening as part of the lip-sync challenge.
“It was really exciting,” said Beverly Ross, a cheerleader at Frontier Middle School who will start 8th grade next month. “I think this is what we needed to get our community together.”
Based on the comments on the MLPD’s Facebook page, Fuhr said he expected “a couple hundred” people were going to show up at McCosh Park.
Fuhr said the community dancing was just part of the MLPD’s ongoing outreach efforts and relationship building with the community it polices.
“This is a great interaction, a great opportunity to rub shoulder with the public and for them to rub shoulders with us, just to see us as human beings like we all are,” Fuhr said.
“I had a blast, but I’m sweating to death!” Fuhr added.
Fuhr said it took about a week to plan all the videos shoots — there were multiple locations, and the various takes will be edited into a final video.
Local photographers and videographers Heather Lynn Photography, Jonda Spurbeck Photography and Korbi Ashton Photography donated their time to shoot and edit the video.
Police departments across the country have been issuing and responding to lip sync challenges. The Seattle Police recently responded to a challenge for the Norfolk, Va., police department by releasing a lip-sync video done to Macklemore’s “Downtown,” featuring cameos from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.