A 5-year-old Massachusetts boy who is battling brain cancer became a cop for a day with help from the local police department.
Little Shavez Forte was sworn in as an officer Monday and helped his partner cuff a pair of bad guys who had staged a fight, according to a Facebook post by the Pittsfield Police Department.
Doctors diagnosed Shavez, who wants to be police officer when he grows up, with a grade IV brain tumor in October, NBC’s Today show reported.
Pittsfield PoliceShavez Forte, 5, who is battling brain cancer, took over Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn’s chair for this photo.
The tike is fighting a condition in which only 25% of children survive for five years or more, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. The exact cause of high-grade tumors, known as glioblastomas, remains unknown.
“Ofc. Forte is battling a serious illness and has been brave in doing so,” Pittsfield police wrote on Facebook. “Ofc. Forte has a dream of becoming a police officer and we couldn’t let anything get in the way of that.”
Pittsfield PoliceOfficer Darren Derby partnered with Shavez for the day, and the pair caught a couple of bad guys who staged a fight while Shavez was on duty.
The western Massachusetts police department posted pictures showing the boy getting picked up from school, sitting in Chief Michael Wynn’s chair and riding in a cruiser. Shavez is beaming in the photos even though his hat was a little too big for him.
His partner for the day, officer Darren Derby, feels like he made a “friend for life,” Derby told Time Warner Cable News.
Pittsfield PoliceDerby picked Shavez up from school and brought him to Pittsfield police headquarters, where the boy was sworn in.
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Pittsfield Police
Shavez wants to be a police officer when he grows up, he says.
Derby picked Shavez up from school and brought him to Pittsfield police headquarters, where the boy was sworn in.
“My whole goal in wearing this uniform is to help those in need, and that’s ultimately what we’re here for,” said Derby. “It’s kind of taken over me emotionally — I’m almost at a loss for words when I’m with him.”
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Pittsfield PoliceLittle Shavez is staying strong in the face of a very serious medical condition, and he now has a lot of friends at the local police department.
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Pittsfield Police
Shavez’s dream came true: this document makes him an official police department.
Little Shavez is staying strong in the face of a very serious medical condition, and he now has a lot of friends at the local police department.
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