SYRACUSE -- For 9-year-old CJ Mills, this was a day he will never forget. CJ was granted a Make-A-Wish wish – he became a police officer.
Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler welcomed the newest member of the police force and CJ's dad says it’s a dream come true for his son.
"He always says he wanted to be a police officer. He wanted to become a police officer. So I say, one day you are going to become a police officer," says CJ’s father, Cleotis Mills.
CJ was surprised at his home by a Syracuse police officer who took him to the Syracuse Public Safety Building in a police cruiser where he was sworn in by Chief Fowler before reporting for training.
CJ's dream was made possible with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York. CJ suffers from sickle cell anemia, but all he wanted to do today was show off his new uniform.
"This is awesome. I bet I'm just as excited as CJ is about this. This is a great honor for us to be able to be a part of making this special for this young man," says Chief Fowler.
Now that he has a badge, CJ has a full day of police work including training with the traffic and k-9 units. He’ll also be dispatched to a hostage situation with swat teams.
"There's a lot of emotion going through CJ. That's the look. He has the look of a new recruit for sure," says Chief Fowler.
CJ will end his day at the New York State Fair’s Law Enforcement Day where he will ride with police in a parade.
