Dancing Cops Photo Earns National Honors

When it comes to photographs that capture the spirit of “Community Policing in Action,” it’s hard to top Sarasota’s dancing cops.

At least that was the determination of the judges in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ first-ever social media photo contest. Dubbed “Community Policing in Action,” the contest asked law enforcement agencies across the country to share their shots of cops doing great things.

All told, the justice department received more than 200 submissions, choosing 12 to visually represent what community policing is all about, the federal agency announced in a media release.

The Sarasota photo that captured the national honor was taken by department communications coordinator Genevieve Judge during a community barbecue Jan. 4, 2014. The image shows Officer Carmen Woods and Lt. Kenneth Castro dancing along with residents on a street.

“This photo highlights how our police department builds relationships and trust in our community,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino in a statement released by the Sarasota Police Department. “It’s an honor to have a national organization, like the U.S. Department of Justice, recognize the work our men and women do every day to keep the City of Sarasota a safe place to live, work and play.”

Sarasota’s phone will appear on the covers of the COPS Office’s Twitter and Facebook pages during the month of July. To check out all the photos, visit COPS on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department/Genevieve Judge