PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- When broken down to its purest form, a dream can sound so simple. This dream belongs to five-year-old Shavez Forte. His dream is to be a police officer.

"Besides our sworn duties, there's a lot of other stuff our personnel are involved in, both out there publicly and behind the scenes," said Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn.

Before his swearing-in as an honorary Pittsfield police officer, Forte was diagnosed with a stage four malignant neoplasm. Officer Darren Derby answered the call to spend time with Shavez, knowing he could make his dream a reality.

"People in uniform are their heroes," said Derby. "That's what they see on TV. They want to be a fireman, they want to be a police officer and catch bad guys, and he got that opportunity today."

When a police officer takes the oath, he or she must exemplify what it means to wear the badge: to serve the community, to be a friend.

"My whole goal in wearing this uniform is to help those in need, and that's ultimately what we're here for," said Derby. "It's kind of taken over me emotionally -- I'm almost at a loss for words when I'm with him."

Today, Shavez wanted to be a police officer. But he's been a hero for much longer.

"I've got a friend for life," said Derby. "And he does as well."