LA PLATA, Md. — The La Plata Police Department has joined more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide in honoring Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a Texas teen whose mission to be sworn in by police departments across the country has made him a symbol of courage and resilience.
During the week of Sept. 7, 2025, La Plata officers attended the 2025 National Interdiction Conference in Charleston, S.C. At the conference’s awards banquet on Sept. 10, DJ, 13, served as the special guest of honor. Diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer in 2018 and given only months to live, he has since outlived that prognosis and continued his journey to be sworn in wherever he goes.
The banquet hall rose to its feet as DJ took the stage for a mass swearing-in. In that moment, La Plata Police formally inducted him as an honorary member of the department, presenting him with a certificate and agency mementos marking his place among their ranks.
Daniel has now been sworn in by more than 1,000 agencies, from small-town police departments to federal organizations, making La Plata one of the latest to join his nationwide mission.
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