Members of the Hartford Police Department shooting task force walked "the toughest beat" Monday, visiting patients at Connecticut Children's Medical Center.
Among those kids is 9-year-old Davon Brown, who's receiving treatment for sickle cell anemia.
"It brightened his day up. I like it a lot. You look at him now, he has a smile on his face," said Davon's father, Rondell Brown.
Chief James Rovella, a cancer survivor, joined the patrol, offering words of encouragement to young cancer patients like 6-year-old Tyrell Brady, who's undergoing chemotherapy.
"He gets kind of bored easily, so for him to have some type of different people to kind of have a little bit of fun and talk, I think, makes it easier for him," said Tyrell's mother, Iris Quinones.
Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley organized the beat and said the department hoped just nine officers from the shooting task force would make the trip.
Twenty-five volunteered.
"Hopefully, it gives them a break in what they're going through. The officers are going to try to be as positive with them as possible and give them words of encouragement and let them know how brave the kids are," said Foley.
Hartford police plan to make "The Toughest Beat" a quarterly patrol at Connecticut Children's, with officers from the city's north end planning to visit kids at the hospital next time.
