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With their right hands raised, the young “officers” pledged to protect Janesville from “ghosts, goblins, and monsters of any kind” over the next few days. After taking the oath, each child signed their name, received a badge and headed off to fill their candy buckets — and maybe pet K9 Maui along the way.

Police Chief Chad Pearson playfully asked if the new recruits would be ready to start work the next day, drawing giggles from the children and parents gathered in the police garage decorated with Halloween lights and candy displays.

The event invited kids to dress up as police officers, meet K9 Maui, explore patrol vehicles, and take a lighthearted oath of office administered by Pearson.

“This is our first Junior Patrol Day, and the thought process was, there’s lots of cool things that kids can decide to dress up for Halloween,” said Benjamin Thompson, community service specialist with the department. “I remember dressing up as a police officer as a kid and would have loved this opportunity to come down here and sit in a squad car and potentially get sworn in and that type of thing.”

Chief Pearson said that the turnout exceeded expectations.

“I can’t even measure it. It’s been incredible,” Pearson said. “It’s reassuring to see the support that comes out and just the smiles on the kids’ faces.”

Pearson said his favorite part was seeing how creative the kids got with their costumes. He added that some of the costumes were surprisingly detailed. Kids came equipped with whistles, handcuffs, walkie talkies and even tactical cameras.

Pearson said events like Junior Patrol Day are important for community engagement, connecting officers with the people they serve.

“They need to see that we’re actually out here to help serve the community, to ensure safety,” he said. “But it’s also that personal connection; we’re people too. I just love the connection we’re able to have with the community.”

He said the “oath of office” that each child took was a playful way to teach responsibility.

Among the families attending was Alyssa Tranchita, who brought her two young children.

“Well, especially my four-year-old keeps saying she wants to be a police officer when she grows up,” Tranchita said. “So, when we saw the event online, they both were very interested.”

Tranchita said she hopes the department continues the event in future years.

“I love this,” she said. “I don’t know if they’ve ever done this before, but I hope they do every year. It’s really fun to see all the kids who want to be a police officer get involved in the community. “

Pearson said the joy of the evening reminded him why community events matter.

“It feels good,” he said. “Some days you feel like all the negativity comes down on you, but then you have a day like this, and it all feels good.”