Police Officer Sings “Oh Holy Night” In A Park To The Delight Of A Cheering Crowd

Jeremy Turner works as a police officer for the city of Portland, Maine. However, before joining the force, Jeremy had a background in a much different field. You see, Jeremy studied music at the University of Southern Maine. “I’ve been singing since I was 6-years-old, and I went to the University of Southern Maine and have a degree in music performance,” he explained. But, while he enjoys singing as a hobby, his now-famous spur-of-the-moment performance in a city park only happened because his partner dared him to do it while they were out on patrol one winter day in Old Port.

“I don’t think he thought that I’d actually do it, so we went there, and I went for it, and people just started gathering around, and so I kept going,” Turner said. And go for it he did! Thankfully, the fantastic performance was captured on video and shared with the world. Turner can be seen on the footage singing a touching rendition of “Oh Holy Night.” The video found its way to Facebook and YouTube, where it’s since been watched thousands of times. In fact, the video became an overnight viral hit. “I feel embarrassed when I start, and I feel embarrassed when I end; during the middle, I’m just kind of in there singing and don’t really think about it too much,” Turner said.

Source: Screencap via WGME

The song “Oh Holy Night” is one of those lovely Christmas classics that bring folks together, but also requires that the singer has the chops to pull it off!

“It’s one of my parents’ favorite Christmas songs, I’ve been singing it for years, and it’s just been kind of my go to and first one that came to mind,” Turner said.

Source: Screencap via WGME

As a crowd started to form, Turner seemed to become more confident, it’s likely it began to remind him of his days as a music major just before becoming a law enforcement dispatcher, and then an officer.

“You don’t see the correlation?” Turner joked about his career path.

The public’s positive reaction to the video is well appreciated by fellow officers as well as Jeremy’s boss, Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck, who notes that having a chance to see officers in such a way is great for the public and officers as well.

“It humanizes law enforcement officers at a completely different level,” he explained.

 

But what about that friendly, smiling face folks watched on the video? Well, his boss assures everyone that it’s not just for show.

“That’s who Jeremy Turner is,” Sauschuck said. “That’s the real deal. He’s always smiling, he’s always laughing.”

Source: Screencap via WGME

And from what we hear, this fun-loving officer enjoys singing whenever he can, but admits that he rarely finds a valid reason to use those skills on the job. I guess singing a suspect their Miranda rights isn’t considered appropriate for some reason. But, while Jeremy isn’t writing off the possibility of pursuing a music career at some point, he says that he really enjoys his current gig.

“I can find a place to sing, if that’s still what I want to do, but this was something I always wanted as well,” Turner said of joining the force.

Source: Screencap via Andrew Hutchings/Facebook

Since the video was uploaded in 2017, thousands of folks have left tons of positive comments, and there are even some people who admit that it made them see law enforcement officers in a new light.

Source: Screencap via Andrew Hutchings/Facebook

Turner says that he believes his job helps make the world a better place.

“Being a police officer you never know what kind of day you’re going to have but it’s definitely a rewarding experience when you go out there and see what you can do to help someone and try and make their day better.”

Watching turner sing “Oh Holy Night” is just one of those things that just warms our hearts.

Portland PD Singing Police OfficerThis last Saturday evening while on a winter footbeat Off. Jeremy Turner showcased one of his lesser known (at least around the department) talents. It seems his impromptu performance was well received, we hope you enjoy it as much as the crowd did..Thank you Off. Keller for filming this amazing performance.Please feel free to share this video. #singingpoliceofficer

Posted by Andrew Hutchings on Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Source: The Ron Project