3-year-old child with cancer becomes youngest cop

A little boy fighting cancer now has a badge to battle the bad guys.

Eli Hoag, 3, is now the youngest police officer for the Schertz Police Department, in Texas.

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Eli has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He was diagnosed in January and undergoes chemotherapy every day, his parents told KSAT.

Tuesday, Eli took the same oath that all officers at the department pledge. He also got his own police patch and a sergeant's coin for bravery in the line of duty.

Posted by Stephanie Hoag on Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Police say Eli's situation put a lot of things into perspective.

His parents said that he has to wear a mask every time they leave the house. A cold or infection can make children battling cancer and on chemotherapy critically ill.

"That's how a lot of them pass away," Stan Hoag said.

"I honestly almost started crying when I was doing the swearing-in because I can only imagine. We take a lot of things for granted on a daily basis," police Officer Helen Lafitte told KSAT.

Posted by Stephanie Hoag on Tuesday, November 1, 2016

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