A photo of the “Chief for the Day” Ino Reyes Jr.
“Chief for a Day” is a program, primarily in Washington State, where children with life-threatening or chronic illnesses are honored with a day of law enforcement activities, often including a motorcade and ceremony where they are sworn in as honorary chiefs. The event aims to provide a joyful experience, distract from their medical conditions, and foster community connections with local police and sheriff’s departments.
A student named Inomar Reyes Jr. Gets to be honorable “Chief for a Day.” Ino was made chief of the day because as part of the Washington state criminal justice training commission’s program, where he and his family were treated to “meaningful experiences and opportunities to celebrate his strength and courage.”
“I got to see the inside of a helicopter,” Ino said. Last year, Ino was diagnosed with leukemia and had been part of a clinical trial at Seattle Children’s Hospital known as the “the biggest breakdown in childhood cancer treatment in decades.” He is currently in remission.
“We were in the children’s hospital for many days and had spent a lot of time in the hospital,” said Ino’s father, Inomar Reyes Sr., in a phone call. “Seattle Police Department contacted us, and we decided to do it because it’s just amazing what Seattle Children’s and SPD do for kids that are going through hard times.”
