Brush Prairie boy, 6, is ‘Chief for a Day’

Evans said Tuesday that the spirit of law enforcement is to serve others at your own sacrifice, and “Cole has that same spirit.”

As he was sworn in, the Brush Prairie boy promised to uphold the laws of the United States and the state of Washington. Then he signed a certificate and let his mom pin his badge on for him. He declined to give a speech.

Cole was 4 years old when his father found a large tumor on his kidney. Doctors suspect it was a Wilms’ tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer primarily affecting children. Cole’s tumor was removed in September 2011, but that surgery also revealed that the cancer had metastasized, leaving more than 100 cancerous spots on his lungs.

After the surgery, Cole underwent outpatient chemotherapy treatment, then another surgery to remove part of a lung, then more intensive chemotherapy. Doctors ended that treatment in November, more than a year earlier than scheduled, because his bone marrow was taking longer and longer to recover from the treatments.

Although Cole is currently in remission, he has a CT scan every three months to check for cancer.

Cole’s Christmas Furry Friend Fund raised $1,205, Hackman said, allowing him to donate stuffed animals to children not just at Doernbecher but also at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland and through Candlelighters for Kids with Cancer, an Oregon-based nonprofit organization. To help with his effort, the sheriff’s office gave the family a box full of Beanie Babies to deliver to Doernbecher on Thursday, when Cole has his next checkup.

After the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, Cole went outside the restaurant to check out a Peacekeeper, an armored vehicle. He asked that the emergency lights be turned on and took the liberty of running the sirens with his friends.

“Uh … hi,” he said over the vehicle’s intercom.

Throughout the year, Cole will be an ambassador for the sheriff’s office and attend various events, including a police dog training at the end of the month.