FREEPORT, Texas — The support for 6-year-old Abigail Rose Arias has been tremendous since she became a rookie officer for the Freeport Police Department.
Many other officers from around the world want to embrace the newest member of the police force by sending her patches and challenge coins, according to Freeport PD.
Freeport PD posted on their Facebook Friday, “For those peace officers asking for information where to send patches and coins to, please send to our Officer Abigail Arias here at the police department and he will deliver to Officer Arias!”
Officer Arias has cancer in both of her lungs. Doctors said she does not have long to live, so Police Chief Ray Garivey helped make her wish of becoming a police officer come true.
“She (said) I want to be a police officer,” Garivey said. “I looked back at her dad and said she probably shouldn’t have told me that. He kind of winked at me and I said we’re going to make that happen.”
Officer Arias was sworn in as a Freeport police officer on Thursday.
Dozens around Brazoria County chipped in and donated a custom uniform, food, police patches, challenge coins and more to make Abigail’s day special. She really wanted the badge, though. It is her license to attack the “bad guys” in her body: cancer.
“They beat up my body,” she said. “So I want to help the bad guys go away. I want to help this cancer in, like, 5 seconds.”
Her spirit won over the entire courtroom filled with people there to witness Abigail's ceremony. 18 minutes after being sworn in, Abigail took her chief’s badge and made him a promise neither will forget.
“I promise to keep fighting the bad guys until all my cancer is gone,” Abigail pledged to the chief.
Freeport PD has 33 sworn officers. None is more determined to bust bad guys than the 6-year-old holding badge number 758.
If you are interested in donating to Abigail's family, visit her GoFundMe page.