Wearing a uniform that was just his size, complete with Stetson hat, handcuffs, flashlight and sleeve patches as big as his biceps, Darrien Salter went right to work Thursday.

The seven-year-old spent the day as Officer Salter, Badge No. 1273 -- just call him the "short arm of the law."

Andy Sharp/AJC (ENLARGE)

Seven-year-old Darrien Salter is shown as he gets out of a police car to assist riding partner Lt. William Hegwood in a 'traffic stop.'

• See more photos of Officer Salter on his beat! Recent headlines: Ride to raise funds takes 2 wheelers to Oregon  Online school enrollment soars in summer  Funeral home in Marietta sanctioned     • Cobb County news

Darrien has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder of the nervous system, and had made a wish to be a policeman.

Partnering with Lt. William Hegwood, he attended a Smyrna Police Department shift meeting and patrolled the neighborhood in a black-and-white. Undercover cops played the part of bad guys then gave Darrien some practice in the field.

First, he ticketed a driver who ran a stop sign, then handcuffed and arrested a man trying to break into an empty building with a crowbar. When Darrien called for back-up, the whole traffic unit responded.

Darrien also turned on the blue lights in the police car and talked on the radio. He finished his shift by writing a report, typing with one finger words such as T-H-U-G to describe the man he arrested.

Darrien's adventures unfolded like an episode of "Cops," his favorite television show, as cameras recorded his every move. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama made the day possible.

"Did you arrest a bad guy?" his brother Devin, 10, asked when he returned to the station.

Darrien nodded.

"He doesn't talk much, he's very shy," said his mom, Kawanna, "but he shows a lot of good expressions on his face."

Darrien's grandfather was chief of police in Evergreen, Ala. He recently decided he wanted to become a policeman, too.

"He really wants to take all the bad people off the street," his mother said. "All of them."

Darrien, who lives in Lawrenceville, arrived at the police station in a Hummer limousine with his mother, five brothers, sister and cousin.

His social worker at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta originally contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Sara Waddell, a volunteer who helps coordinate wishes, had a son who could help: Ron Waddell, a detective with the Smyrna police.

Darrien's wish was the 4,000th granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama since it started in 1995. A uniform shop donated the uniform. The other accessories, like handcuffs, came from the police.

"Things just mysteriously appeared on my desk from time to time to make sure that he had everything he was supposed to have," Waddell said.

Darrien beamed as he modeled his new uniform, better than any Halloween costume.

"Wow, this is unbelievable," said his mom. "You're excited, yes you are, I can see it all over your face."

"He looks sharper than most of our officers," Hegwood said.

The lieutenant patiently showed the wide-eyed child the ropes.

"He's a normal 7-year-old kid," Hegwood said. "He's just taking it all in. I think arresting the guy with the crowbar was scary — he's 6-foot-5 300-pounds with a 34-inch waist. That would scare me."

Hegwood said Darrien's experience exposed another aspect of police work.

"They get to see the other side, the fun part," he said. "They get to see a little kid enjoying himself."

Darrien's disease is life-threatening, but is not terminal. He has seizures, including one last Saturday. He stopped breathing and had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital.

His mother said he has three tumors on the brain, two on the right optic nerve, and 60 to 70 spots on his body that raise up to be tumors.

"So, we've got a battle ahead of us," she said.

For now, Darrien was just having fun.

Before he and his siblings piled back into the Hummer to go to lunch, Officer Milton Lane gave him some parting words.

"When you put on the uniform, you become Officer Salter," he said. "When you take it off, you're Darrien again."