Vote to get Cleveland Police onto CBS lip sync show

CLEVELAND, Tennessee (WDEF) – The Cleveland Police Department has been chosen to be featured on CBS’s Lip Sync to the Rescue special.

Of the 30 emergency agencies chosen, the Cleveland Police Department is the only one to represent Tennessee.

News 12’s Ashley Henderson went to Bradley County for the story.

(But go ahead and vote for them here.)

“Havana-oh-na-na, Hey! Half of my heart is in Havana-oh, na-na. . .”

Last year the Collegedale Police Department challenged the Cleveland Police Department to create a Lip Sync video. And Sergeant Evie West says she jumped at the opportunity.

SGT. EVIE WEST, PIO CLEVELAND PD
“I like that song, the Havana song, it kind of allowed me to put my little Latin flare in that, and then kind of challenge the officers too, to learn a little bit of Spanish ’cause there’s a little bit of Spanish words in there.”

The video went viral and became one of the top twenty most popular 1st responder lip sync challenge videos in the country. Now CBS has chosen it to be featured in their Lip Sync to the Rescue special.

WEST: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I was really super excited about having that opportunity to do that.”

West is encouraging people to share and vote for their video, which she says brings a lot of positive attention to the state as well as their department.

WEST: “It brings great attention to the great state of Tennessee, and the professional talent that we have here, but not only that, the professionalism that we have, as dedicated law enforcement officers who are willing to put put their self in a vulnerable position to reach out to the community to say, ‘Hey, we’re a lot like you.’ ”

Detective Stephen Warner was in the video, and says it made their officers more approachable by members of the community.

DET. STEPHEN WARNER, CLEVELAND P. D.
“Kind of a conversation starter, and to me I think it made us a little bit more approachable – people are like, ‘Hey, you know, those guys are just – they’re just a bunch of regular guys, you know, they’re not – they’re not all business all the time.”

Warner encourages people to vote, multiple times.

WARNER: “Vote as many times for the Cleveland Police Department as you possibly can. Just keep votin’ ’till your finger goes numb!”

NATS: MUSIC- “He took me back to east Atlanta-na-na-na. . .”

At the Cleveland Police Service Center, Ashley Henderson, News 12 Now.