By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Although it will be years until he can join the force, local kindergartener Hudson Hayes had his first visit to the Sheriff’s Office in his police outfit on Sept. 7.

Derrick Bone of the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office had set up an opportunity for Hudson to meet Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon because of the boy’s interest in police officers.

Hudson first became interested in police officers when they helped direct traffic on his first day of school at Clanton Elementary.

“[They] help people,” Hudson said.

Shearon gave Hudson a deputy badge sticker and a stuffed police dog while he was there. The sheriff said the dog had been given to the department and had been a fixture in his office for a while.

“We like interacting with kids,” Shearon said.

Shearon said the department tries to have an annual Junior Deputy Academy in order for other children to have similar opportunities to meet officers and learn about the career. He said the academy was not being offered this year, but hopes to have it in the summer of 2018.

Bone said officers are usually at the schools directing traffic for the first few weeks. Later, officers will patrol near the schools as a part of their day in an effort to keep people from speeding in the school zones.

“Every morning he would see all the [officers] out their directing traffic and he said, ‘I want a police outfit. I want to be just like them,'” Tasha Hayes, Hudson’s mom, said.

Hayes found a child-sized police costume for Hudson, then asked Derrick Bone of the Chilton County Sheriff’s office if it would be possible for some of the officers to come by the house.

Bone, Ken Harmon of CCSO with Jason Harris and Darrell Bone of the Clanton Police Department went to visit Hudson.

“They just came by the house and they had the sirens going,” Hayes said. “He directed them in and … it just made his day.”

Hayes said the effort meant a lot to Hudson.

“We let him direct us in there,” Derrick bone said. “Then we showed him some of our guns, and some things on our computers, turn on the lights on the car and the siren.”

As a thank-you to Derrick Bone and to the entire department for all they do, Hayes brought cookies and cake during the visit to meet the Sheriff.