DALLAS, TX – The Dallas Police Department’s newest recruit had a slightly different take on the job after his first spin in a police cruiser Monday.

Kyle Spriggs was taken for a high-speed ride on Monday by Officer Matt Passmore as part of his tour of police operations. The Oklahoma boy, joined by mother Patricia Spriggs and sister Christina, met officers in March after his backpack was stolen while he was in Dallas for treatment.

“I want to do it again. I want to do it until I barf,” Kyle Spriggs said as the car came to a stop. “Who needs a roller coaster?”

Or even a uniform.

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle made 8-year-old Kyle an honorary officer Monday, three months after Dallas officers befriended the Oklahoma boy. They met after Kyle’s backpack was stolen during a trip to Dallas for chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumor.

The backpack, which was stolen from the family’s car when they stopped at a restaurant for breakfast, contained Kyle’s medicine, homework and video games. His parents, Chris and Patricia Spriggs, dutifully reported the theft – which occurred the day before Kyle’s birthday – to Dallas police but didn’t expect much more.

But when Officer Matt Passmore heard about the theft, he and Senior Cpl. Bill Knobel and Officer Mike Nealey raised $1,200 to replace the stolen medication and repair the car window that thieves broke to get to Kyle’s backpack. They also gave him a PlayStation Portable, a birthday card, and a couple of video games and movies.

“Matt just happened to be the one who answered the call,” Sr. Cpl. Knobel said. “He, Mike and myself decided to do something about it, and it ballooned into all of this.”

The boy’s parents recently contacted Dallas police asking if Kyle could see his Police Department friends again. Officer Passmore went to work setting up a tour.”They planned all of this for us, for him. Matt made all the arrangements for us,” Mr. Spriggs said. “It takes his mind off all he’s going through.” Kyle’s brain tumor has left him blind in one eye.

As Chief Kunkle presented Kyle a plaque Monday making him an honorary police officer, he made him an even bigger offer.

“When you get better, we expect you to be a Dallas police officer,” the chief said.

We as law enforcement officers wear badges, patches and insignia to identify ourselves as the Police. In the online community just as in our cities, counties and states we can offer this identification simply by using these badges as our avatars to identify ourselves as officers. This serves many purposes:

First, if someone is in trouble while in the online community the badge is quickly identified and help can be obtained just like getting a “flag-down” in our real communities.

Second, while a predator is seeking to commit online assaults, looking to prey on children or involved with cyber-bullying, the badge could and probably will act as a deterrent against the person who has a badge(s) in their friends list.

Another benefit is if you, like me, have tweens and teens regularly using online communities, you can protect your own by having your badge prominently displayed on their pages, as we are almost always on our kids top friends list.

Finally, by displaying our badge we can identify other law enforcement officers showing our pride in the profession we have chosen for our lifelong career.

These are just some thoughts and hopes from one old cop to all the other cops out there trying to make online communities safer for our kids and our communities.

Major B

ALVIN, TX — Police in this Brazoria County town have taken on the bald-is-beautiful look.

Almost the entire police department sported shaved heads Thursday. They weren’t shorn as a fashion statement, but to raise money to help a fellow officer pay medical expenses for his 3-year-old son, who lost his hair while fighting leukemia.

“Look, Brian, they all look like us,” Officer Forest Hill told his son as they met in front of the police station with most of the 43 officers and others who volunteered to lose their hair to raise money.

“The ladies don’t,” the quiet, but observant lad answered. Brian kept very quiet as hairless officers stood in line to sign his white T-shirt. Occasionally he’d put his plastic dragon on an officer’s bald head or throw his toy police car at one.

Donors paid $100 each for the officers to get their hair cut. The money is being raised by the Alvin Police Officers Association, which also held a fundraiser for Brian last month.

In all, townspeople, members of civic clubs, and businesses donated more than $6,300 just to see cops go bald, Sgt. Jamie Crabtree said, but more is needed.

A group called Blue Santa donated $1,000 for Chief Mike Merkel to have his hair cut.

“This is the first time in more than 50 years I’ve had this little hair,” he said. He kept his moustache, saying it would cost even more for him to give that up.

Municipal Judge Bill Pannell said he raised $1,100 to get his hair cut, even though he only had it cut very short and not shaved. “I’ve got a daughter getting married soon and the new haircut had to be approved by my wife before I got it,” he said.

As the officers stood outside the station, passers-by honked horns, waved and shouted. A group of people stood across the street, applauded and cheered.

Merkel and the officers association put out a warning that people in the area should wear sunglasses.

“We don’t want all the glare to cause an accident,” the notice said.

Crabtree said Brian’s fight with leukemia has touched many officers.

“His dad served in Iraq and he’s seen more courage in his son through all of this,” Crabtree said.

“He never has cried,” Forest Hill said.

Brian was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on March 31. Although doctors at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has said he is now in remission, he must continue to undergo chemotherapy for 2 1/2 to 3 years to keep the cancer from coming back.

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