A little boy with a big personality, a life-threatening illness and a longtime dream of becoming a police officer was sworn in as the Birmingham Police Department’s honorary deputy chief on Friday.

12-year-old Devarjay “DJ” Daniel was diagnosed with terminal brain and spine cancer when he was just 6 years old.

Despite undergoing 13 surgeries, the Texas boy’s determination to become a police officer never wavered. In 2019, he was first sworn in as an officer by Brookshire Constabulary Department in Texas.

When he was initially given five months to live, he set a goal of swearing in 100 police departments.

Since then, it has been sworn in by 871 police departments in the US and beyond, including recently in Italy.

Birmingham Police held a swearing-in ceremony at the Crossplex on Friday.

Officials from 33 law enforcement agencies in the state, including the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the FBI, presented DJ with badges, resolutions and more.

Today, the DJ will be walking in the Magic City Classic Parade downtown.

“It’s a great day to support a young man who has a lot of challenges ahead of him,” said Police Chief Scott Thurmond.

“It’s refreshing for us to have someone who wants to be a part of the profession and give back to others.”

“What he signed up for in law enforcement was to serve, to protect, to give back to others and to help someone in need,” Thurmond said.

“We’re certainly helping a young man in need, and it’s just refreshing that of all the careers he could have chosen, he chose law enforcement.”

Cedric Sparks, Birmingham City Hall’s chief of staff, said his heart was full.

“In this room, the bravery, the courage of men and women are personified and personified in this dynamic young man,” Sparks said. “I’m grateful that his family believes in his life’s calling and the purpose he has for himself.”

DJ found out earlier this week that he had three new brain tumors.

“It’s a heavy load to carry, but you can see he doesn’t care,” said his father, Theodis Daniel. “So we won’t worry. We will keep pushing.”

Daniel, who is raising his three sons as a single father, said DJ’s dream of becoming a police officer began when the family was displaced by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and was staying in a shelter in Houston.

They stayed there for weeks, sometimes sleeping on the floor, and lost their house in the storm.

DJ and his two brothers ran around the shelter from sunrise to sunset, collecting water and granola bars like “squirrels getting ready for winter.”

One day, three policemen brought the boys to Daniel and the original father, even though they were in trouble. The police assured them they weren’t and they just wanted to give the boys some pizza.

“At a time in our lives where we just didn’t know what to do because the emotional trauma was so great and we lost hope,” Daniel said.

“Anything less than three officers giving us pizza almost put Devarjay and his brothers in their minds to be police officers.”

“You definitely inspire us, especially him,” Daniel, a veteran, told the officers Friday. “I’m comfortable with someone in uniform because I was in the military and they made fun of me because I’m always talking to police officers.”

“I told them it’s because I trust the uniform, and now they understand that,” he said.

“When they leave in the morning to go to school, it’s no different than your families and loved ones watching you in uniform as you walk out the door and praying for you to come back,” Daniel said. “I do that every day with him. He literally fights for his life every day and lives like it’s his last day.”

“He loves his law enforcement,” Daniel said.

The DJ said he wants to continue traveling the world visiting police departments “until my gas tank runs out.”

“I’m pretty sure you know what that means. Then God calls you home,” DJ said. “Pray for children who have brain cancer.”

“You just made your day,” Daniel told the officers, “but you saved his life for the last five years.”