Matt Helms

Detroit Free Press

Rodney Burton has been through tough battles in his young life – fighting sickle cell anemia and, last year, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, always with courage, his family says.

This morning, the 7-year-old from Southfield got a special treat – a helicopter trip across the city that kicked off his tenure as Detroit police chief for the day. The helicopter landed on the grounds of Detroit’s Public Safety Headquarters, where he was greeted by Police Chief James Craig and a slew of law enforcement – officers from the city’s bomb squad and mounted police units, the Detroit Fire Department and motorcycle troopers from the Michigan State Police.

He and his sister Ra’gan Burton got to sit on the motorcycles and turn on the sirens.

Then, inside the headquarters building, he received a rousing salute and cheers from officers and other personnel before Craig administered the oath of office, with vows to faithfully serve the citizens of Detroit.

And in his first official press conference, Rodney was asked what his favorite part of being police chief was.

“Getting people arrested, bad people,” he said. “I make them put their hands behind their back, put handcuffs on and say, ‘You have the right to remain silent.’ ”

Asked what he wanted for the children of Detroit, Rodney’s answer was simple: “Peace.”

It was the beginning of an eventful day for Rodney, whose family says he has always wanted to be a police officer and is fascinated by the Detroit Police Department’s special response team. Later in the day, he met with Mayor Mike Duggan, his boss for the day.

Craig was introduced to Burton by Pastor Maurice Hardwick of Body of Believers Church on the city’s west side, which Burton’s family attends. Hardwick has worked with Craig on community outreach efforts to bridge the gap between police and residents.

Craig said he first met Rodney in the hospital and he wanted to give the boy – now in remission from cancer – the day of his dreams.

At Christmas last year, Hardwick said, he asked Burton what he wanted for Christmas.

“He said, ‘I want a SWAT uniform,’ ” Hardwick said. “I said, ‘Why do you want SWAT?’ He said, ‘Because I want to fight crime so we can live in peace.’ And it hit me that this kid was fighting two death elements – cancer and sickle cell – but yet he still wanted to fight crime.”

His family says Rodney has been brave throughout his illnesses. He’s the oldest of three children, a second-grader who loves basketball, wrestling and playing video games and alternates between being mean to his sisters and loving on them, said his mother, Johnai Evans.

The family has relied heavily on its religious faith throughout Rodney’s life, Evans said.

“We believe and pray and trust that Rodney will be healed of sickle cell, but he has been battling it since birth – a lot of hospitalizations. He gets blood transfusions every two weeks,” Evans said. “It’s been a hard journey. He was diagnosed with cancer last year, so that was something to add onto what we were already dealing with.

“I hope that people will see his strength and know that he’s just a small child that’s been through so much, but through the grace of God he’s able to wake up every day with a smile on his face no matter what pain he may be in or no matter what he may go through.”

Craig said the department has made a point of visiting young people in the city’s hospitals who are battling life-threatening illnesses as part of its efforts to reach out to the community.

“This is a young man who’s courageous, and to be able to give and fulfill a dream certainly brings some brightness to his life. When you see a person like Rodney, despite the challenges he’s facing, he smiles, he shows strength, and that’s good news for all of us.”

Contact Matt Helms: 313-222-1450 or mhelms@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @matthelms.