Detroit swears in nine-year-old police chief
Detroit’s new police chief may not be able to solve all of the city's problems, but the new position clearly means a lot to him.
Nine-year-old Jayvon Felton arrived to work at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters by helicopter, according to The Detroit Free Press. After he landed, Police Chief James Craig swore young Jayvon in, making him police chief for the day.
The young chief is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the blood, The Huffington Post reports. Arranged with the Children's Hospital of Michigan, the new position as police chief fulfills one of Jayvon's longtime dreams.
"When he was little, he always talked about the police, how they make things safe," Jayvon's mother, Amanda Clinkscales, told The Huffington Post. "He told me, 'Mom, when I get older I want to fight crime and help people.'" After Jayvon learned of his “new position,” "his bottom lip just dropped" in excitement, Clinkscales said.
“I can only imagine the strength and courage it takes for this young man, police chief, to fight this illness every day,” Craig said during a news conference, where Jayvon took the oath of office, The Detroit Free Press reports. “Chief Jayvon, are you up for the challenge? Are you ready to run this great police department?”
Jayvon said he was, and went about his day, which included a press conference as well as a pizza party, The Detroit Free Press reports.
"It was just so amazing to see him so grown up and so mature," Clinkscales told The Huffington Post. "It made me a proud mom, I was just so happy to see him happy."
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