RICHMOND, Ky. — A six-year-old boy has a mission — to take a photo with every law enforcement officer in Madison County, Kentucky. So far, he has more than 30 photographs of himself with officers from various state and local agencies.

Austin Donnelly’s friendship with local law enforcement was evident when members of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police and Richmond Police Department all showed up to a local park earlier this month for his sixth birthday party.

When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, the child decked from head-to-toe in toy police gear emphatically replied, “a policeman.”

Donnelly’s grandmother, Wilma Lainhart, said her grandson’s fascination with police began more than two years ago. At first, Lainhart said she was nervous to ask officers to take photos with her grandson. But now, she is calling several of them by name — many of which Donnelly has memorized as well.

“The first thing he says in the morning is ‘Mammaw, can we go see some police officers today,’” she said.

It doesn’t matter if Donnelly has taken a photograph with an officer before. If he happens to see a familiar face in town, Lainhart says, the small boy wants a new pixelated memory.

“He likes anybody in uniform,” the proud grandmother said, noting Donnelly has also snagged photos with EMS workers and firefighters.

In fact, Donnelly has several uniforms of his own.

After officers from multiple agencies gifted patches bearing their department’s logo, Lainhart sewed them onto shirts with corresponding colors — grey for the Kentucky State Patrol, black for the Richmond Police Department, and soon, brown for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. With several options, Donnelly wears one of his “uniforms” nearly every day.

Along with policing, Madison County Deputy Michael Stotts noted that a badge bestows another important responsibility on all officers — being a role model.

“It doesn’t matter what you are doing, if you have just stopped in at the grocery store for a minute, or have gone someplace to eat. These young people are looking up at you, watching what you do. So you have to hold yourself to a higher standard,” he said while attending Donnelly’s party. “We always want to give them the right image and show them the way they should be. Hopefully they can see some good in us.”

“It’s super humbling when somebody wants to be like you, or looks up to you,” added State Trooper Robert Purdy, who said he was about the same age as Donnelly when he decided he wanted to be a law enforcement officer.

Many of the officers who attended Donnelly’s birthday party had responded to personally handwritten invitations that he and his grandmother had delivered the week prior.

Donnelly received several police-themed gifts, and made his birthday wish over a police-themed cake on what he told his grandmother was “the best birthday ever.”

“There is a lot of negativity to law enforcement out there. And to know that there are still people that want to do the job is really reassuring, that the next generation is ready to step up and serve their communities,” Richmond Police Officer Zachary Stokes said. “I think he is going to make one heck of a police officer one day.”

King writes for the Richmond, Kentucky Register.