Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies surprise 5-year-old girl with birthday celebration
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- For the past year, 5-year-old Savannah Benavidez has been obsessed with law enforcement.
"Every time we go to Walmart or we see them on the streets, she says 'I need to stop and take a picture!'" explained her dad, Geronimo Benavidez.
He told ABC-7 he has no idea where her infatuation began.
"I've had my run-ins with the law since I was younger, so it's been in the blood I guess!" Benavidez joked. "She's a kindhearted little girl. She always wanted to go that extra mile to help."
She insisted on being a police officer for Halloween.
"My wife was putting on her costume and she said, 'Sooner or later, I'm going to be doing this in real life," Benavidez explained. "She kinda got teary eyed and emotional."
On her fifth birthday Sunday, Doña Ana County Sheriff's deputies surprised little Savannah with a birthday she'll never forget. They not only sang happy birthday, but made her an honorary deputy of the day.
"All those officers there were just truly genuine," Benavidez explained. "If that's her passion and that's what she wants, we're just there for our kids and everything they want to be in life."
