On the Street

Fan Service: Tenn. Police Officers Visit 8-Year-Old Supporter after Surgery

April 25, 2025

An 8-year-old boy with autism and a love of local law enforcement got a visit from his heroes when three Humboldt police officers spent time with the boy while he recovered from "a tough surgery."

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

Humboldt, TN, police officers recently visited Joseph, an 8-year-old boy with autism who is a fan of his local law enforcement agency, while the boy was recovering from 'a tough surgery.' — Humboldt, TN, police officers recently visited Joseph, an 8-year-old boy with autism who is a fan of his local law enforcement agency, while the boy was recovering from "a tough surgery."

Three Tennessee police officers took time out this week to cheer up an 8-year-old autistic boy recovering from a recent surgery.

Joseph, who has autism and is non-verbal, is the Humboldt Police Department's biggest fan, calling the force "his other family," said his mother, according to a social media post by the agency. He had met officers "during a tough time in his life and instantly fell in love" with the profession, dreaming of someday becoming an officer, she said.

"(Joseph's) favorite 'reward' isn’t the arcade or park, but visiting the police or fire station," the post stated. "Most Halloweens he is dressed as an officer and this last year he was promoted to swat and made sure y'all saw his awesome pictures during the community cookout, even joking that he is now higher in rank!"

As he recovered from "a tough surgery," three officers from the department stopped for a visit. The brought gifts and just spent time hanging out.

"That simple act brought light to his recovery and made him feel like part of the squad.," the post stated.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.