HASTINGS, Minn. - In true underdog fashion, the Dakota County Sheriff's Office has stunned the world and advanced to the Final Four— of a national lip sync contest.
Dakota County's lip sync and dance video, which runs about four minutes, features dozens of deputies and staff members skateboarding, skydiving and dancing to pop music like "Uptown Funk." Through the USA Today Law Enforcement Lip Sync Challenge, online voters have decided the video is among the four best lip sync and dance-off videos in the United States, along with the Flower Mound Police Department in Texas, Seattle Police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
And want to know the best part of all this?
Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie didn't even know his department was included in the competition until two weeks ago.
"Suddenly, someone in the library system here in Dakota County sent me an email, and it says, 'I voted for you, good luck in the Lip Sync Challenge on USA Today,'" Leslie said. "And I'm like: 'I don't know what you're talking about!'"
His department's video was recorded two years ago, in response to a challenge from Apple Valley Police.
Now they're two victories away from winning the March Madness-style USA Today bracket (click the link to vote).
"I guess we're in the Final Four," Leslie said, pumping his fist. "Yeah!"
Leslie's not sure who entered Dakota County into the USA Today contest, but he's glad somebody did. The competition has banded the office together under a common goal, and it has even drawn the interest of surrounding law enforcement agencies.
On Tuesday morning, the bracket pitted Dakota County against a small police department in Wisconsin for a quarterfinal match-up, but Leslie noticed his team was starting to lose. So he called a few of his neighbors, including St. Paul Police, to cast some votes for Dakota County. By 11 a.m., the Dakota County Sheriff's Office swallowed up the Oshkosh Police Department by more than 2,000 votes, earning a trip to the Final Four.
"We moved beyond the borders of Dakota and got everyone to get involved," Leslie said. "I think it brings to light the power of social media nowadays."
In the Final Four, Dakota County will face Flower Mound, a department located in a community near Dallas.
"Flour Mound, Texas," Leslie said. "Nothing against them. They could be a worthy opponent."
Their video takes on a slightly different style, opting for a Meghan Trainor lip sync and dance-off. It'll be up to the voters to decide which one they like best.
The contest is fun, sure, but Leslie said he appreciates the opportunity for his staff to connect with the people they serve.
And the dance video shows a softer side of law enforcement.
"We're good people trying to do a tough job, and that's how we want to be portrayed: We work for you to try to enforce the laws that you've passed," Leslie said. "Transparency is really important. This is just an attempt to do that, to kind of show us as humans, that aren't robots, and just regular folk."