CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Virginia sheriff's deputy is building community trust through dance moves that have captured attention on social media.
The video shows Deputy Alvin Saunders dancing with a young girl at the Cuffee Community Center, matching her moves step by step.
Paradise Smith, whose niece Aria appeared in the video, shared the moment online with a message about police-community relations.
"This is how I'd like my kids to be able to view and trust officers!" Smith wrote. "Not all cops are bad."
The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office reshared the video on Facebook, noting, "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."
Saunders said the dance was spontaneous.
"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 spread quickly across Chesapeake Facebook groups, carrying a deeper message beyond 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 in hopes of showing her daughters and nieces a different side of law enforcement.
Deputy Saunders understands the importance of breaking down barriers between police and the community, especially with children. He explained common misconceptions kids might have about officers.
"That we take people away. That we're you know, that we're scary, bad people, that you know," Saunders said. "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?"
Smith said the moment showed the human side of police officers.
"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 continued beyond the viral video. Saunders surprised Smith days later with school supplies and toys for her daughters and niece.
"It warmed my heart even more. I'm just like, 'Oh my God,'" Smith said. "Like it was a shock to see him, I'm glad to see him, and I hope we can keep him around some more."
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