While politicians argue about whether anyone should support the police anymore, one little boy quietly decided officers deserved a hug.
According to Police1 [1], an online publication focused on law enforcement, officer training, and public safety, the family of a boy named Miles (now 8 years old) launched a nonprofit called “Rhinos for Rockstars [2],” which distributes stuffed rhinos to police officers and agencies across the country.
Miles’ idea is helping police officers nationwide cope with stress, trauma and heartbreak. The movement started when the boy was just 4 years old and overheard adults talking about a police officer who was a family friend having a bad day.
Miles asked a simple question: “Do officers have stuffed animals to hug when they’re sad?” When he found out they didn’t, he offered up his own stuffed rhinos. When his stuffed animals ran out, he wanted to buy more for the police officers.
Since 2021, the boy’s nonprofit organization has handed out more than 4,500 stuffed rhinos – nicknamed “BOLO” – to officers across the United States and even internationally.
Miles reportedly picked the mammal because rhinos are “big, strong and gentle – just like officers.”
The stuffed animals are now given to officers after traumatic incidents, academy graduations and line-of-duty deaths. Some officers even keep them riding shotgun in patrol cars as reminders they’re not alone.
Turns out a preschooler may understand morale better than people yelling about policing on cable news. He certainly has a bigger heart than they do.