Oldham County Police officer helps 6-year-old get over fear of police

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When you're 6, the biggest concern in life should be that after-school snack and beating your brother in a game of air hockey.

Life changed one day, though, last summer for 6-year-old Joey Sorg.

"That day there was a major police event next door to our house," Joey’s dad, Mickey Sorg, said.

There were sirens, helicopters and an army of officers. The full power of Louisville Metro Police was present, to make a big arrest. It was too much for young Joey, even days later.

"Any time he would hear a siren, he would just start crying and be terrified," Sorg said.

Mickey Sorg says his 6-year-old son developed an intense fear of law enforcement after a police raid near his home in the summer of 2021.

His dad did what parents do: tried to find a good way to put the boy's mind at ease.

"We weren't having a lot of luck with that," he said.

The good thing about living in a small town like Goshen is everyone knows everyone.

Oldham County Police Officer Robert Lane had a friend who told him about Joey's troubles at a football game. And just like a bad throw, Lane's heart dropped.

"So I told her, 'You know what? That's on my beat, I'm going to go up there and see Joey and ease his mind a little bit,'" Lane said.

Lane stopped by about a week later.

"I remember when I pulled in the driveway, I remember Joey taking off running and very scared," Lane said. "I just remember thinking, 'Man, that's sad.'"

Once Joey calmed down, Lane had a suggestion.

"He let me look in the police car," Joey said with a smile.

While they were in there, turning on the police lights and trying out the siren, they covered a lot of ground.

"(Lane), as you can imagine with a 6-year-old, answered about 150 questions," Sorg said.

"I think we talked about the taser," Lane said.

Joey's fear began to fade.

"I told him, 'I'm here to help you and to let you know that the police aren't bad,'" Lane said.

Joey’s opinion of officers has changed.

"They're nice," he said.

In the days that followed, Joey had a new costume idea for Halloween.

"He went from wanting to be a superhero to immediately wanting to be a police officer," Sorg said. "It put a big smile on my face."

The boy now also has a dream job to pursue.