As he battles terminal brain and spine cancer, 10-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel is on a quest to be sworn into as many law enforcement agencies as possible. On Feb. 17, Daniel added the Rice University Police Department to his lengthy resume when Chief Clemente Rodriguez swore him in as an honorary officer in a ceremony at the Rice Faculty Club.
Daniel’s mission is twofold: to increase awareness of childhood cancer and to honor the legacy of Abigail Arias, a 7-year-old girl who dreamed of one day working in law enforcement. Arias was sworn in as an honorary officer of the Freeport Police Department before she died of lung cancer in 2019. That summer, her family started a charity organization called Abigail’s Reach to provide support to other families with children battling cancer.
“Make sure you keep her in your heart,” Daniel said, “because I know I’ve got her in my heart.”
Chief Rodriguez was joined by several members of the RUPD force. Also in attendance were University of St. Thomas Chief of Police H.E. Jenkins and a number of USTPD officers, who welcomed Daniel as a member of their department as well.
At first, Daniel set out to be sworn in by 100 law enforcement agencies. But thanks to an outpouring of public support, he has soared past that goal. After his ceremony with RUPD and USTPD, Daniel had become an honorary member of 230 agencies.
“If you’ve been following DJ’s journey to become a member of as many law enforcement agencies as he can, you have seen how he’s embodied all the qualities that we as leaders in law enforcement look for in new recruits,” said Rodriguez. “He’s displayed strength, courage, nobility, passion, honor, selflessness, resilience, and probably the most important one: love.”
Daniel’s father, Theodis Daniel, thanked RUPD and the numerous other agencies who’ve helped DJ reach and surpass his goal. “It was overwhelming,” the elder Daniel said. “ I didn’t expect it to go that fast… but I knew that the support and love was out there.”
In addition to a framed RUPD badge and certificate, Daniel and his family were given tickets to the Feb. 19 Rice men’s basketball game against Florida International University in Miami. There Daniel carried out his first assignment for the RUPD, working security as an honorary member of the force.
