SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. (WCAX) – There’s a new addition to the team at the Saranac Lake Police Department after a special 12-year-old made a cross-country journey to New York’s North Country.
Police in Saranac Lake gave a warm welcome to Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, inducting him as an honorary officer.
“If it wasn’t for law enforcement, I wouldn’t be here,” Daniel said.
Daniel says it was during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 when the thought of becoming a police officer first crossed his mind. At the time, Daniel was with his family and 14,000 other displaced people at an emergency shelter in Texas. Meals were scarce and Daniel and his brothers spent their time running around grabbing snacks, before meeting law enforcement.
“These three police officers took us to our dad and they asked, were they in trouble and they just asked if they could take us upstairs to get pizza. From that day I said I wanted to be a police officer,” he said.
It was roughly a year later in 2018 Daniel was diagnosed with brain cancer, changing his life and his family’s lives forever.
“Sometimes he can look at you and say, you know what, you need a hug and it is ironic because most of the time he is right,” said Theodis Daniel, DJ’s dad.
Theodis Daniel says cancer hasn’t slowed the 12-year-old down. He has a goal of being inducted as an honorary officer into 1,000 police departments. He says Saranac Lake marks the 875th induction.
“I’m not going to say every day is a good day for me, but you know, you can see me smiling on the outside but I am really torn up on the inside but we get it done. We get it done,” Theodis Daniel said.
For police in Saranac Lake, DJ Daniel’s visit was long awaited and inspiring to everyone on the force.
“He walked in, he had a glow about him, he has such a personality that just draws you to him. It was lots of hugs and lots of smiles all around,” Saranac Lake Police Chief Darin Perrotte said.
A personality that can put a smile on anyone’s face.
“What does one eye say to the other? Between us something stinks because your nose is in between,” DJ Daniel said.
His father says doctors recently found new tumors in DJ’s body. However, he says they are still focused on visiting as many police departments as they can and plan to be back in the North Country.