A group of police officers just stepped up to escort 9 year-old Caden Dixon to his first day of school after his father was killed in the line of duty.

Deputy Nicolas Dixon was killed in a shootout last month, leaving behind his wife Stephanie and their two sons, 9-year-old Caden and 3-month-old Colton. The Hall County Sheriff’s Department in Georgia is like one big family, so Nicholas’ fellow officers are devastated over his death.

As a show of support, a police escort joined Caden on his first day of school in August. This was a difficult day for Caden since he had just lost his father, and the cops were there to make things just a little easier for him.

Most importantly, the officers showed Caden and his mother that they were not alone.

“Hall County Sheriff’s Deputies joined Caden Dixon and his mother Stephanie this morning as Caden began the new school year as a fourth-grader,” the department wrote on Facebook. “They wanted to give Caden and Stephanie some extra support and encouragement on this first day of class. The Sheriff’s Office and Hall County community are proud of them both.”

Stephanie said that her husband loved his job and was hoping to join the SWAT team someday.

The officers were all too happy to be there for Caden.

“He was having a rough morning because he didn’t want to go to school without his dad being there,” Sgt. Charles Hewell said in a statement. “Seeing his reaction when he saw us made everything worth it.”

Find out more about this in the video below.