A US police department has official sworn in a cat as one of its officers.
Fort Smith mayor George McGill presided over the ceremony on Thursday, where the local police department's cat "Pawfficer Fuzz" officially joined the force, the Southwest Times Record reports.
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McGill said he approached the department a few weeks ago suggesting an official ceremony complete with treats and toys for the cat, who lives with a staff member.
"If he's going to be an officer, he needs to be sworn in to make him official. I think the idea of having a mascot is kind of cool. He's going to get a lot of attention," McGill said.
City administrator Carl Geffken told the Southwest Times Record as a sworn police officer Pawfficer Fuzz can now carry a gun, make arrests and enforce the law. He can also get rid of traffic tickets by shredding them up.
The 15-week-old Siamese rescue cat even technically outranks some non-sworn members of staff, but that doesn't bother them.
And despite his new rights, Pawfficer Fuzz isn't expected to be doing any actual crime-fighting. Instead, he's going to focus on helping the local police force bond with residents.
The local Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold "Cat Tuesday" events where he goes to meet local businesses, and he's also expected to visit schools and pre-schools.
He was all booked up for the days following his swearing-in ceremony, except for Friday, which was his day off.
Newshub.