Eight-year-old Ryan Herdman of Spring Valley now has the title of being the youngest San Diego Police officer. Ryan Herdman is battling cancer. His dream was to be part of the SDPD and today he was sworn in.
Police Chief William Lansdowne read Herdman the oath. Herdman raised his right hand and accepted the responsibility with a nod. There was cheers and applause when the ceremony, held at San Diego’s police headquarters downtown, concluded.
Ryan Herdman’s father Richard pinned a personalized badge on his son. It’s been a tough 8 months for the Herdman’s. Ryan has been through weeks of radiation and chemotherapy battling a brain tumor.
"He was absolutely the best patient you could ever imagine," said Richard Herdman.
Herdman said Ryan is done with treatment and he said he made a promise to his son when they left the hospital. “We're not going to be sick anymore. You're going to be the best little kid ever. You're going to go out and get dirty, you're going to get scraped up and just have a lot of fun," said Richard Herdman.
It’s a mission Chief Lansdowne said the SDPD is proud to be a part of.
"This is some tough times for a lot of people but some people are dealing with even more difficult problems and if we can make one young man's wish complete. It's our intent to do that today," Lansdowne said.
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After the swearing-in Ryan got a briefing then a tour of the communications center.
Ryan Herdman and his father left downtown in a squad car with two officers. They spent the rest of the day touring various divisions of the police department throughout San Diego.
