When Monroe Police Officers Chuck Fuller, Max Michel and Devin Tucker rolled into Sky River Park on Saturday afternoon, it wasn't because they were looking for bad guys. They were there to make a 5-year-old Sultan boy's birthday a whole lot brighter.
They even came bearing gifts.
Sultan resident Kari Birrenkott knew she wanted to embrace all things law enforcement during her son Beau's July 23 birthday celebration at Monroe's Sky River Park, so she set about making it happen. She planned a police-themed birthday party fit for any 5-year-old aspiring law enforcement officer; complete with donuts, "cop cornGÇ¥ and chocolate-drizzled "police batonGÇ¥ pretzels. There was even a mock jail cell, just in case anybody got out of line.
Birrenkott's sister, Lisa Shelton, decided that an actual police officer would make the event even better, so she used social media to see if she could make it happen. Shelton used the Facebook group, You Had Me at Monroe, to publicize her request.
"My nephew dreams of being a police officer,Gǥ she wrote. "WellGǪ He thinks he already is. He gives all the neighbor kids tickets and uses his red and blue bike siren frequently.Gǥ
Monroe Officer Jason Southard caught wind of the request, and the department ran with it.
Fuller, Tucker and Michel presented Beau with a new Tonka Rescue Force police cruiser, a 14-inch model police car complete with lights and sound. They chatted with Beau, wished him a happy birthday and passed out stickers to Beau and all his guests.
Kari said Beau's penchant for police officers has been a great learning experience for him.
"Right now he's in the police officer phase. He likes to arrest people and take them to jail,GÇ¥ she said. "Especially with everything that's been going on recently in the news, it's been a good opportunity to remind him of what police officers do. They don't just go and throw people in jail; they're protecting the community and protecting us. It's been a pretty good lesson.GÇ¥
This isn't the first time young Beau has considered a career as a first responder. Last year he made a splash at the Sultan Summer Shindig Parade, after he donned child-size bunker gear and a fire department hat. He walked alongside a wagon festooned with a handmade sign that said, "Fire Dept. 4.GÇ¥
Kari, Beau and the birthday boy's friends and family were grateful to the department for taking the time to stop by.
"I can't believe they brought him toys and stuff; that was so nice,GÇ¥ Kari said. "I was not expecting that ' that was so generous.
Photos by Chris Hendrickson Monroe Police Department Officers Devin Tucker, Chuck Fuller and Max Michel surprised 5-year-old Beau Birrenkott when they stopped by his birthday celebration on Saturday to say hello.
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