After his cop dad died in the line of duty, he wished for a father figure to walk him into school — then 70 officers showed up

Losing a parent can be hard on a young child. Especially when it is time for them to go on with life in the absence of their loved one. A 5-year-old boy experienced something similar when his father, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty. The boy was bound to have a difficult time going back to school for the first time after his dad's death. But then he asked his mom if one of his father's friends could be with him when he went back. Their response was much more than the family had expected, per ABC-affiliate WTHI-TV.

The boy, Dakota Pitts, was about to go back to school a week after his dad, Rob Pitts, had died. He made a special request to his mom when it was finally time to do it. "Dakota asked his mom if one of his dad's friends could take him to school, so she reached out to Rob’s friends and families,” Les Hamm, Terre Haute Police Detective, told the outlet. But not just one, around 70 officers showed up that day to welcome Dakota back to school and ensure that he was feeling okay. The officers came from two different departments and not just from the one his dad belonged to. They were from the Terre Haute Police Department and the Vigo County Sheriff's Department. All of them waited at the Sullivan Elementary School in Indiana for the boy.

Rob was a 16-year veteran at his department and his son wore his police badge around his neck to school that day. The SWAT Team at the department made a SWAT badge and shirt specifically for Dakota and presented those to him when he came to school that day. The officers who came in to be there for the boy reassured him that they would always have his back. "He will definitely know his dad was a hero. Blood doesn't always make family and I think the blue family went above and beyond," Kelli Jones, Rob's sister, told the outlet, referring to what the officers did for the little boy.

The boy's dad had been killed in a shootout, according to CBS News. He also shared that keeping his dad's badge with him brought him a lot of comfort. About the gesture, he said, "I am super duper surprised and I loved it." The officers made Dakota an honorary member of his father's special response team. He was really close to his father and even wrote a message for him that read, "Dear dad, I love and miss you so much." Dakota hoped to become a police officer as an adult. "I don't want to be hero, but I want to be a police officer."

Sullivan Elementary Principal, Samantha Phegley, told CNN that she wanted to help the boy get back to school in all possible ways. "A student’s return to school after the death of a loved one, especially a parent, is difficult. Having the support of Rob’s police family helped Dakota take those first few steps." She added, "Our hope is that Dakota’s first day back to school after his father’s passing is one that he will remember forever and that he will always know how much his father’s sacrifice meant to all of us."