The Ocala Police Department in Florida gained significant attention with a social media campaign designed to enhance recruitment efforts and foster better relations between officers and the community. The initiative, highlighted on Fox & Friends Weekend, aims to show the human aspect of the officers and has accumulated millions of online views.
“Social media, being able to bring light, especially since like 2020 and all that stuff happened, being able to bring a positive light to the police department, being able to take the serious side away from work, showing that we do have personalities,” Officer Sean Price said.
The department released a new video this week as part of their “We Do” campaign. Set to the song “Daddy’s Home” by Usher, the video humorously portrays officers in dating scenarios while performing their duties. Scenes include phrases like “Does he open your door?” with footage of an officer assisting someone into a patrol car, “Does he listen to you?” while taking a statement, and “Does he answer your call?” during an emergency call—all with the phrase “We do.”
This playful approach intends to show the roles officers play in community service. The video has reached more than 19 million views on Facebook, reflecting positive public reactions.
Corporal Alexandria Blackman commented on the campaign’s reception, noting the importance of connecting with the community and presenting a lighter side of police work. Officer Sean Price shared that this positive engagement should lead to increased applications for the force.
“I mean, with as much as it’s navigated throughout social media, with all the likes and attention we’ve got, I would just say we’ve gotten some positive attention,” Price said.
Officer Clayton Brown emphasized the importance of understanding one’s motivation for joining law enforcement. Brown encouraged those interested to consider their reasons for entering such a challenging field.
“I would say, one, what’s your why? You got to have a good why of coming into the job like this,” Brown advised.
“And if it’s to reach our community, you’re [going to] be there on people’s worst days. And you have to come at it with a different outlook, a different perspective. You have to be able to see both sides of things. But I’d say if you have that itch, we need good people. So do it.”
Overall, the campaign highlights the contributions of officers to the community and their efforts to maintain public safety, serving as a powerful tool in humanizing the profession and attracting new recruits.