Saint John Police Force swears in new top cop, for a day

No doubt, being the chief of police in any town comes with years of experience. For one boy from Saint John, N.B., the experience of taking the hat and badge and serving as the chief of the Saint John Police Force will likely last a lifetime.

Six-year-old Sawyer Toews has been preparing for his day to wear the uniform. His dream of becoming a cop started with patrols of the house, before moving to patrols of his backyard. It’s there where he’s served in just about every aspect of justice, from RCMP to Forest Ranger.

He even wore a police uniform for his school picture this year.

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“He has told me how he used to be a cop,” said his mother Krista, holding Sawyers’ hand during an interview with Global News.

“He’s been RCMP and city police, he’s also been a forest ranger, and he runs around our yard with a cap gun making sure everyone is safe.”

The Chief for a Day program is a contest run by the Saint John Police Force, and this year, Sawyer was chosen to be the chief for the day.

“We told him when we picked him up from school,” Krista said, describing the moment he found out he had won the contest.

“He screamed very, very loud. There was a little dance involved, and he called everyone he knew.”

Getting acclimated to the job, officers gave him a tour of the building and demonstrated the uniform, notably, the vest.

“That’s heavy,” he said while trying to hold up the handcuffs, baton and other items inside the vest.

When asked what would be the first thing he would do as chief of police, he said he’s “going to keep my eyes out for anybody breaking the law.”

While his run as police top dog was pretty short-lived, he vowed to come back as an officer when he grows up, so he could patrol in a police car.