A retiring deputy probation officer in California was quite amused when his teammates dressed up in his signature, unofficial uniform on his last day of work in December.
One of his coworkers, Diana Manuel, uploaded a video of the feel-good moment to TikTok on Dec. 29.
The Monterey County Probation Department also posted about the officer’s retirement, calling Kevin Christian “a legend” who has served with the department for close to 30 years.
“He has been a great asset to the department and to the community of Monterey County primarily in the Peninsula,” the department wrote. “Thank you DPO Christian for being mentor to many and changing lives to better the community. You have been a great friend to so many and you will be missed. Your hard work throughout the years is greatly appreciated! Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!”
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Whose idea was it to prank officer Christian?
Manuel, who works with him, said there were six people in on the joke. They originally planned to prank him around Halloween and buy bald caps but the plan fell through.
“We ordered the caps a few weeks later so we’ve had them for months, courtesy of Amazon,” Manuel wrote in an email. “We knew Kevin was going to retire come December. So then we thought, wouldn’t it hilarious if we dressed like him for his last day of work?”
They eventually bought bald caps, vests from Costco where he loves to shop, as well as blue shirts to match Christian’s normal workwear. Everyone also donned dark-colored pants to match his.
“Obviously we planned well in advance hoping he would wear that outfit,” Manuel said. “It’s not a uniform but he wears it often and we had just come to the conclusion it was his favorite outfit. So why not wear it on your last day!!?”
How did he react?
When Christian walked into the office and saw replicas of himself, he laughed hysterically, Manuel said.
“What in God’s name is wrong with you people?” Christian can be heard saying in one video.
And this isn’t the first time the team has celebrated Christian. In September, the team “destroyed his office” for his birthday, Manuel said in a follow-up TikTok video showing Christian vacuuming and cleaning up the space.
For Christian’s retirement, Manuel figured they’d make a TikTok video of everyone dressed like him. She uploaded it and to her surprise, it got a few thousand views that night. The video has been liked nearly 500,000 times since then.
She said the team is like a family.
“We are probation officers and we are a law agency, but we have to have fun when time allows,” she said. “For us, humor is a way to decompress in what sometimes is a very serious and sometimes dangerous job to perform.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.