Law enforcement officers helping celebrate birthdays amid social distancing

ATLANTA -  They only come once a year, so we try to make them special: Birthdays! But how do u celebrate when you're ordered to shelter-in-place and avoid close contact with other people?

Some lucky Georgians are getting a little help from our men and women in blue.

Norcross Police, for example, are helping one lucky guy or gal ring in another year every day for the month of April.

"Birthdays are special, [but] you're not able to go do your normal family functions, get together with family and friends, so you're stuck at home right now," said Lt. Robert Braud, Norcross Police. "So, we can come to you."

And Norcross PD isn't alone; law enforcement agencies across the state are serving as surprise guests at birthday parties, hampered by social distancing.

"Most of the time when we're dealing with people, it's on their worst day, and sometimes it's really nice to be with people on a really good day," said Sgt. John Hamilton, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

Corporal William Sessa, also with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, helped arrange to surprise his friend's 5-year-old son. A fleet of deputies crested over the hill, blasting sirens and playing the song, "Bad Boys."

"I think we all had a really big sense of pride in doing that for him," said Sessa. "Pretty much a majority of us, [who participated in the surprise], have kids."

Whether it's a celebration for someone's first or last year in double digits, it feels good for people of all ages to be recognized on the annual milestone.

"This time of fear is overwhelming for everybody, so for our family to enjoy a little light like that was unreal," said Amy Jo Wright, whose son Deacon received a birthday surprise.

Some police departments are taking requests. You can reach out to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office or Norcross Police on Facebook if you'd like to see lights and sirens at a loved one's birthday celebration.