California Police Officer Graduates at Hospital 1 Hour After His Son’s Birth: 'It Was Amazing'

The Modesto Police Department went to the hospital so their newest police officer, Trent Kersey, could graduate with his newborn

One of Modesto, California's newest police officers graduated in an unusual and touching setting.

Trent Kersey planned to graduate from the San Joaquin Delta College Post Academy with the rest of his cohort on Tuesday until his wife went into labor the day before. “We did rehearsals on [Monday] and then I came home, talked to my wife, and we ended up going to the hospital,” Kersey tells PEOPLE.

The 25-year-old police officer proceeded to call “the academy staff and his department” to let them know that he would be missing graduation, something he referred to as “bittersweet.”

“I'd rather be there for my baby's birth than go to the graduation. I always put my family first,” says Kersey, who's also a father to an 18-month-old son. “I just thought it was going to be another regular delivery with the little man, [but] it turned out to be a whole different thing.”

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The academy was “very supportive” of Kersey missing the graduation ceremony. “They were like, ‘No, go be with your family. You need to be there for them. Graduation is graduation, but this is a once in a lifetime thing,’ ” Kersey recalls.

As the members of his graduating class celebrated their accomplishments on Tuesday, Kersey and his wife Victoria, 25, welcomed their youngest son Theo into the world at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. It was only an hour after his birth, however, that Kersey received a phone call from his sergeant.

“My sergeant called me and said, ‘Hey, how would you feel if we and the chief came by and swore you in at the hospital?’ ” Kersey recalls. “I talked to the hospital staff, and they got it cleared through their safety department and everything.”

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The experience of being sworn in while holding his newborn child left Kersey “taken aback.”

“It was amazing, like something else,” he says. “It made me and my family feel really welcome into the police department. It was definitely something I was trying to soak in at the moment. I was just kind of shocked.”

He adds, “It shows what kind of culture Modesto Police Department has. It's just a very family-oriented department.”

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The department was equally thrilled to offer this opportunity to Kersey. “We wanted to ensure that he didn't miss out on his graduation day, and it turned out to be a heartwarming experience for everyone involved,” a representative tells PEOPLE.

“We strive to create an environment where our officers feel welcomed and supported as they embark on their careers with the Modesto Police Department,” they continued.

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Now that he had this special graduation experience, the father is even more excited to begin his career as a police officer. “I was already nervous, excited, [and having] a whole bunch of emotions, but it definitely makes me glad that I chose to apply to Modesto and that they were willing to take me in,” Kersey says. “It confirmed my decision to go the law enforcement route. It just really made me feel welcome.”

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