Officer Retiring After 30 Years Goes Out in Style Dancing to 'Footloose' During Final Sign-Off
Signing off for the last time is a rite of passage for retiring law enforcement officers. For many, it’s an emotional time to reflect on all that has happened throughout their careers and involves the people who are closest to them.
Most include a little extra during their final sign-off, but usually, it’s a few extra words — for this officer, the final good-bye featured more than just words.
The recording shows Officer Cory Burrows signing off in a fairly typical manner.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege,” he said over the radio. The voice on the other side thanked him for his service.
Then Barrows switched gears: “But first — I’m gonna cut loose!”
Barrows jumped out of the car as he cranked up “Footloose” and started dancing on the blacktop. After a moment, he threw his arms in the air and shouted, “I’m done!”
“Anyone who knows Cory Barrows knows he had to go out in style to his infamous song!” his wife, Lisa Simpson-Barrows, wrote in the video’s caption. “I think I cried more than he did!!
“Not sure if it’s because he’s leaving a job that he loved with all his heart, that I know he is going to miss so very much, or the fact that I’m now stuck with him 24/7!! It’s been a great ride for 30 years, but now he’s ‘Footloose’!”
The video highlighting Barrow’s good sense of humor has since been picked up by multiple outlets and shared around the world.
But all was not as it seemed. Apparently, Barrows was challenged to dance by his wife, who thought it would be a fitting way to kick off retirement.
“I didn’t want to actually do it,” Barrows said, according to the Herald&Review. “My wife suggested it because she thought it would be funny to share.”
To be fair, Barrows was known for his moves to that particular song, so his wife’s request wasn’t completely random. In fact, the officer normally gets a little more extreme than the short clip showed.
“I usually go down and do the splits,” he explained, “but I didn’t do it with all the equipment.”
It seems that he was happy with the way it went, though, adding a little levity to an otherwise somber affair.
“I think making a sign-off video the way I did made it a little easier for me to handle,” Barrows said.
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