For as long as he can remember, 10-year-old Dakin Lovelace has wanted to be a police officer.
"I just like them," said Dakin.
"He's been a police officer several times for Halloween," said his mother Devon Thomas. "He had handcuffs and he made me handcuff myself in an aisle of Target...this has always been his big thing."
The only obstacle standing in the way of his dream, Dakin has a rare genetic disorder that affects his muscles, meaning he has to use a wheelchair to get around.
But that wasn't enough to stop the Fort Worth Police Department from recruiting him.
"I feel great," said Dakin.
Dakin and his family are from East Texas, but travel to the DFW area often to see doctors and receive treatment.
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During a recent visit, they met a Fort Worth Police officer. And when that officer heard about Dakin's love of law enforcement, he made him a promise that when Dakin got out of the hospital, he could come be a junior officer for their department.
"To be able to make that happen, that's a huge honor on our end," said Sergeant Chris Britt, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department.
Monday, the department kept that promise, hosting a swearing-in ceremony just for him. They also gave him a tour of their headquarters, had him spend time with FWPD's recruits, and even let him go out onto their practice track so he could pull over his mom and ticket her.
"She's a horrible driver," laughed Dakin.
He also received an official proclamation from the City of Fort Worth as well as a special video message and certificate from Congressman Marc Veasey.
"It's huge," said Thomas. "It's absolutely huge. This has been his dream his whole life. I think he's actually a little shell-shocked right now."
The Fort Worth Police Department told Dakin they wanted this to be the best day of his life. If the permanent smile on his face was any indication, they succeeded.
"Thank you!" said Dakin.
