Dance team for the budget-strapped NYPD goes viral after cringe performance on local TV

Members of the dance team for the New York Police Department received national attention this week, though likely not for the reasons they'd hoped after a performance on a local news broadcast went viral on social media.

Before the clip hit the internet, most Americans — and perhaps even most New Yorkers — likely had no idea that the NYPD has its own dance team, but it does. Founded in 2022, the NYPD Dance Team, one of nearly 50 department sports teams, practices twice a week and performs all over the city, including at schools and in parades, as part of the department's commitment to community outreach.

Friendships within the group and the exercise involved also help members "decompress" from the stresses of law enforcement, said team president Autumn-Rain Martinez, an officer with the 108th Precinct in Queens. The team's Instagram account bio claims that members are "[s]taying mentally and physically well through DANCE!"

Anyone employed at the NYPD, both uniformed officers and civilians alike, is permitted to join, regardless of experience. The team, currently composed of only women, even held tryouts last month in hopes of attracting more members, especially men. "As long as you have the passion, that's what we care about the most," Martinez claimed.

Perhaps to increase the group's profile even further, the team went on a morning show for WPIX-TV last week and performed a routine to "Club Can't Handle Me" by Flo Rida that was then almost universally panned by viewers on social media. The segment is about six minutes long, and the routine begins at the 2:45 mark:

The most common criticisms seem to relate to the women's appearances and varying degrees of talent. Popular meme-sharing X account Planet Of Memes called the performance "next level cringe," while another user tactlessly joked that the clip looked "like an opening for a weight watchers infomercial."

Still others complained that the group was a waste of precious time and resources. "NYC crime at an all-time high..." wrote one user, "people being murdered, shops looted, drugs flooding the streets, homeless crisis and the city is being overrun by illegals. The solution? NYPD Chief: Dance!"

"Library closed on weekends but we got a NYPD dance team," quipped yet another user.

Indeed, despite the spike in violent crime in the city, Democrat Mayor Eric Adams, himself a former cop, ordered cuts to all uniformed departments to pay for the surge of illegal immigrants in the city. As a result, the NYPD went on a hiring freeze and still had to cut 10% of its 33,000 officers, as Blaze News previously reported, bringing staffing levels to their lowest point in 40 years.

This year, the budget for the NYPD is reportedly a staggering $10.8 billion. It is unclear how much the department allocates for the dance team or any of its other after-hours recreational activities, which include hockey, paintball, baseball, and even chess.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!