Cedar Hill Has Pint-Sized Police Chief: Part Charmer, Part Crime Fighter

CEDAR HILL, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Cedar Hill got a new police chief Tuesday, but the tenure won't last long. Bedtimes come early for 4-year-olds.  

"She wants to go fight crime. We want to fight crime," says Cedar Hill Police Lt. Colin Chenault.  "Age really isn't an issue here."

Ah-Maiya, the city's honorary chief, earned her stripes the old fashioned way: aiding in arrests.

Earlier this year, the then 3-year-old was awakened by what police later determined was a band of thieves.

And despite being frightened by seeing someone breaking into her grandfather's vehicle at 3:00 a.m., she alerted him.  A quick check of the family's surveillance cameras confirmed the little girl's suspicions and her grandfather called police.

"We were able to get four people who were breaking into other peoples' cars, and their homes and actually had possession of a stolen weapon that they had stolen as well," says Lt. Chenault who called the arrest "major" while adding, "these were people that didn't need to be on the streets of Cedar Hill."

When investigating officers learned that Ah-Maiya wants to be a police chief when she grows up, the rest was just magic waiting to happen.

"Because we catch bad guys!" she explained.  All this in-between preparing me plastic pizza slices from her toy kitchen and rolling out more with blue PlayDoh.  "That's why they're my favorite!"

When asked how he felt about having a 4-year-old at the helm, Lt. Chenault was pragmatic and quickly saw the positive.

"I'm sure we'll have the best snacks and best juice boxes," he added with a laugh.  

In addition to being a police chief, she also shared Tuesday she plans to be a doctor... and a firefighter... and a darling dispenser of smiles.