Twenty-five children battling cancer traded hospital wristbands for police badges Wednesday, as the LAPD hosted its annual Junior Officer Day at the Elysian Park Police Academy, bringing young patients from across the country face-to-face with SWAT, Air Support, the Metro Mounted Unit, Bomb Squad, Dive Team, Motors and K9 handlers. The visiting kids were sworn in as honorary officers, toured the specialized units, and left with badges, challenge coins and other keepsakes meant to make them feel, if only for a day, like part of the force.
A Two-Decade Tradition Rooted in Hollywood
According to LAPD Headquarters, the department was proud to partner with the Sunshine Kids Foundation to create the experience for the 25 children, whom the LAPD described as a symbol of strength and resilience. The event, detailed by LAPD Online, included a badging ceremony attended by Chief Jim McDonnell and Reserve Foundation President Karla Ahmanson, alongside the tours of specialized units.
The LAPD-Sunshine Kids event began in 2006 as a ceremony and police-car motorcade, after actor G.W. Bailey, then executive director of the Sunshine Kids Foundation and a star on TNT's The Closer, asked technical advisor Detective Mike Berchem to arrange a police cruiser visit for visiting pediatric cancer patients, according to the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation. The Junior Badge Ceremony at Elysian Park was introduced in 2021. Retired Reserve Officer David Bush long spearheaded the tradition within the Reserve Corps, helping turn a single cruiser ride into an annual departmental fixture. The 2026 gathering comes 20 years after the partnership began.
Reserve Officers Carry the Day
The event is organized annually through the LAPD Community Relations Section, and it leans heavily on the department's Reserve Corps. The LAPD pairs each child with a reserve officer to guide them through academy activities. Officer Joseph Orlanes of the Office of the Chief of Police organizes the event.
The event paused in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One Stop on a Weeklong California Trip
The Elysian Park day is one piece of a bigger journey. The police academy visit is a highlight of a Sunshine Kids Foundation trip to Southern California, according to the reserve foundation's account of past trips. Past itineraries for the trip have included visits to Hollywood studios and other local attractions.
The Sunshine Kids Foundation was established in 1982. It provides free activities and emotional support for children receiving cancer treatment, according to the foundation's own history. Bailey was the organization's executive director. Jennifer Wisler is the foundation's executive director, and she attended this year's LAPD event.
Timed to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, according to the Desert Cancer Foundation. SEER estimates that about 1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20.
The foundation's young participants don't always leave the spotlight once the trip ends. Yuriza Wells, a former pediatric cancer patient, was named a 2026 National Spokeskid for the Sunshine Kids Foundation, as Hoodline previously reported.
