BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Most 7-year-olds love superheroes, but for a Beaver County boy, he sees his heroes on a daily basis, wearing uniforms, not capes.
Jeffrey McCarty and his mother travel to local police departments around the area, arriving at each with a special message.
"We wanted to keep everyone safe,” the 7-year-old said.
He has handed out cards that include a prayer and a charm showing Saint Michael, the patron saint of police officers, at 17 police departments.
Jeffrey’s mother said her son got the idea in July after hearing the news about the five officers who were killed in Dallas.
"I think of it because I don't want any officers ever killed again,” Jeffrey said.
Since then, he has taken the cards, as well as black and blue stickers, to officers to let them know he cares.
“To have a child come in and present us with something -- it really means a lot,” Ambridge Police Department Lt. Brian Jameson said.
"It's special, you know, to see we're appreciated by little people. You know what I mean? Because they're what counts. They're the future,” Aliquippa Police Department Asst. Chief Joseph Perciavalle said.
At each stop, Jeffrey and his mother take pictures, and sometimes they collect patches and even try on some gear.
Jeffrey said he wants to grow up to be a detective and that he plans to continue doing his part to honor the people who he says are doing the most important job in the world.
"They are superheroes, and they keep us safe,” he said.
Jeffrey said he hopes to make enough cards to send to each department that has had an officer killed in the line of duty.
To pay for the project, he started a GoFundMe account. Anyone who wants to make a donation can
.