Coopertown Police Swear In 11-year-old Honorary Officer

Coopertown, Tennessee

On Monday, December 12, 2022, Coopertown Police, Mayor Becca Werner, and Coopertown City Hall staff were honored to meet 11-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, his father Theodis, and his two brothers, Demariyae and Deondraye. DJ was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma grade III in 2018, a deadly, cancerous tumor that forms when central nervous system cells begin to multiply rapidly (National Institutes of Health, n.d.). Since three Houston police officers helped his family after Hurricane Harvey destroyed their home, DJ has wanted to become a police officer. He initially set out to become sworn in as an honorary officer at 100 law enforcement agencies, but has since surpassed that goal. On Monday, DJ was sworn in as an honorary police officer for Coopertown Police Department, his 747th agency.

*DJ’s father, Theodis Daniel assists in outfitting DJ with an official CPD uniform for his ceremony*.

Theodis Daniel told Coopertown Officers the initial prognosis for DJ’s type of cancer was a 5-month survival expectancy. He believed DJ’s goal of becoming an officer and the overwhelming support from the law enforcement community has kept DJ going. In November, DJ was sworn in at several other Middle Tennessee law enforcement agencies (Kennedy, 2022). Upon learning of DJ’s story, Coopertown Police Sergeant Justin Parker reached out to DJ’s father to extend the invitation for DJ to be sworn in as a Coopertown Officer. “It was an honor to meet and swear in DJ as an honorary officer for Coopertown” said Sergeant Parker. “He is an inspiration to us all. He has an infectious personality and will be the first to tell you he’s 11 going on 30.”