When you think of police officers, you probably picture them slapping handcuffs on someone or being involved in a highspeed chase. You probably don’t picture them walking into prom dressed in their uniforms and escorting special needs students.
A group of police officers in Boynton Beach, Florida, recently went out of their way to make some local kids happy.
They put away the handcuffs and got out the flowers and dance shoes. They also showed up their fancy dance moves.
When the police officers found out that some of the special needs students at a local high school weren’t planning on attending their prom, the police officers decided that it just wasn’t acceptable.
They wanted to show them how fun could be, and they came up with a way to convince them to go.
So, one warm May evening, the police officers met up with some of the students and accompanied them to prom. The students looked great and were happy to go. The boys wore tuxes, and the girls wore beautiful gowns. They all had ties and flowers, and their hair was done up right. They looked amazing. The officers wore their uniforms, but they didn’t hesitate to get a little dolled up, too.
The idea to escort the students to prom came from Officer Scott Harris, whose wife is a special education teacher at the high school.
When he asked some of the other officers if they would like to go, too, they all volunteered. Many of them were just as excited to go as the students.
Officer Harris said:
“It’s amazing to see these young kids that don’t have the opportunity to come do this be here today. They’re awesome kids and now they’re mingling with all the other kids doing the same thing that the kids that don’t have the disabilities are doing.”
The officers went by the books when it came to prom.
They pinned on boutonnières and put corsages on wrists. They all walked into prom proudly and ready to have a great time. The students were a little shy at first when it came to hitting the dance floor, but it didn’t take long for the police officers to talk them into it. Before long, everyone was out there busting a move, and the smiles were contagious.
The police officers made sure these kids had the time of their lives and that they were making prom memories that they would never forget.
The kids who weren’t even planning on going to go to prom ended up being the life of the party. Everyone wanted to get photos and videos of themselves dancing with the police officers and their dates.
While the students clearly had a good time, the police officers all insisted that the pleasure was all theirs. It had been a while since any of them had stepped foot in a prom, and most of them were happy to take a little time away from fighting crime and spend some time laughing and joking around with some of the youths in the community.
The police department posted on Twitter:
“As much as tonight means to these students, it means the world to us to be able to escort them to their prom.”
The other students and teachers were amazed when they saw the police officers dancing and acting silly just like teenagers.
It was good for everyone to see the officers off duty and to know that they have a fun side, too. It’s not often that you can get to see officers in uniform letting loose and enjoying life like this. They may have decided to go to prom to help out the students, but in the end, they also had the times of their lives. They made memories with each other and some of the local school kids.
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What?! #bbpdgoestoprom #prom2018 #bbpdpride pic.twitter.com/E0zjdurxum
— Boynton Beach Police (@BBPD) May 6, 2018
