Three years ago, Dartmouth police officers arrested the Grinch red-handed and saved Christmas. Now, the Grinch has recovered from his criminal ways and is proudly serving the department.

Okay, not really, but the Grinch does make a cameo as a dispatcher in this year’s Dartmouth Police Department holiday parody video. The video, released on Dec. 23, includes a behind-the-scenes look at the holiday goings-on inside the police station.

The video is packed with references to popular Christmas films. In one room, an officer offers a firearms safety course featuring the famed Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot range model air rifle, while in front of the station, an officer is dared to stick his tongue on the flag pole.

Both are scenes from the iconic film A Christmas Story – particularly relevant to Dartmouth as the high school theatre company recently wrapped up its rendition of the classic. Other references include Home Alone and Christmas Vacation.

“We went for the big ones, the ones the vast majority of the population can identify with,” said Dartmouth Police Det. Kyle Costa.

It’s become a holiday tradition for the department to team up with Dartmouth Community Television to produce a holiday parody video. In past years, the department stopped the Grinch from stealing Christmas, solved the case of grandma getting run over by a reindeer, and investigated “stranger” happenings.

Costa said DCTV is always willing to work with the department, and the department’s own staff is always willing to appear in videos. 

This year’s video featured a particularly relevant message at the end: A heartfelt thank-you to the citizens of Dartmouth for giving the green light for the department’s new police headquarters.

The department has been operating out of a temporary home made of modular units, but will truly be “home for the holidays” next year. Construction of the department’s new headquarters building on Tucker Road began this year, and is scheduled to wrap up in 2019.

“We wanted to thank the citizens of the Town of Dartmouth for the support they gave us for our move into a new station next year,” Costa said.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.