With the pint-sized chief for day decked out in his dress blues and standing at attention before the city council, Bonney Lake Mayor Neil Johnson on Tuesday proclaimed Aug. 16 William Knight II Day.

Knight is the city’s first Chief for a Day and on Aug. 16, he will accompany members of the department to a Seattle for a special, day-long celebration with the other chiefs from around the state.

Knight will be transported in a police car as part of a motorcade to CenturyLink Field, where there will be presentations and demonstrations on everything from K-9 units, mounted patrols, SWAT teams and a military helicopter.

The Chief For a Day program is sponsored by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission and celebrates the lives of children with chronic or life-threatening conditions.

Bonney Lake is one of 27 police agencies around the state participating. This is Bonney Lake’s first year in program.

Knight, 7, just completed second grade at Emerald Hill Elementary, but was born several months premature and was diagnosed with missing one of the four valves in the heart that helps control blood flow.

As a baby, Knight had surgery to install a replacement valve, which needs to be replaced as he grows. To date, Knight has had four surgeries, two of which were open-heart surgeries, including the most recent in November.

According to his parents, the valve installed in October is expected to last several years and Knight was given a clean bill of health at his most recent checkup.

The Police Department has also been collecting money to help the family pay medical expenses. A recent pancake feed at Applebee’s raised more than $700.