UCF Police Officer vs. Snake: Humorous Video Goes Viral
The UCF police department’s video shows an officer struggling to catch a snake in a campus building.
A UCF police officer accomplishes his mission in an unconventional way.
An entertaining video of a University of Central Florida police officer overcoming his fears to rid a building of a snake has garnered national attention over the last week.
The video shows a clearly-spooked police officer attempting to catch a snake that’d caused a scare on the school’s Orlando campus in early September.
The video was shared on the UCF Police Department’s Facebook page with the caption “We catch bad guys, not snakes.”
UCF’s Deputy Chief of Police Carl Metzger said the officer in the video, who shall remain anonymous, has a fear of snakes termed ophidiophobia.
Metzger acknowledged the video, shown below, is humorous, but stressed that the campus police officer “ultimately accomplished his mission” when he got the snake out of the building.
While the footage may not depict the straight-faced seriousness campus police departments typically go for, many viewers have applauded UCF police for taking the opportunity to embrace the fruits of a unique, non-dangerous situation.
Importantly, the video also got the attention of students, showing a human side to officers that may make them more comfortable approaching and interacting with campus police.
The video is just the latest example of UCF police effectively reaching the community they serve. The department also maintains an active social media presence, a robust website and of course offers a variety of services to the campus community in addition to operating 24/7.
UCF officers are fully accredited police officers with firearm authorization and arrest powers. The UCF Police Department currently employs approximately 75 sworn law enforcement officers according to its website.
Police do heroic work every day, but they often only make headlines for the wrong reasons. This video counts as good PR!
Besides, this officer is not alone. Some studies show about a third of adults are ophidiophobic, making it the most common reported phobia!
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