Billings Honors Chase Lantz, the 13-Year-Old Who Dreamed of Being a Police Officer

I keep thinking about Chase Lantz. It happens when I'm driving or standing in my kitchen: I picture a 13-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him, and I wonder about everything he could have become.

On Monday, the Billings Police Department posthumously appointed Chase as an Honorary Billings Police Officer. His story has struck me right in the heart, and I can't stop thinking about his family and the depth of grief I know they're feeling. If you've been carrying Chase's story around since September, you're not alone.

Billings Honorary Police Officer Chase Lantz Dreamed of Serving Since Age 4

Chase dreamed of becoming a police officer from the age of four, according to Sgt. Stovall, who shared the department's announcement on Facebook. He loved watching COPS and Law & Order, and he loved nice cars and dance parties. A competitive game of UNO was right up his alley, and so were football and wrestling.

Chase even planned to make sure his mom could live in whatever city he eventually served as an officer. At 13, he was already making plans to look after his mom.

Stovall wrote, "Chase may never have had the opportunity to wear our uniform, but he certainly had the heart of a police officer." The department thanked Chase's family for allowing them to honor his dream and welcome him into their law enforcement family, and closed the message with these words: "Rest easy, Officer Chase Lantz. Your watch is complete, but your legacy will live on."

Billings Teen Chase Lantz's Organ Donation Gives Others a Second Chance

On the morning of Sept. 24, Chase was walking to Will James Middle School when he was struck by a vehicle at Grand Avenue and Rehberg Lane. Billings Police said the crash happened around 7:24 a.m. while he was in the crosswalk, as I shared when Billings was asked to wear red for Chase. He was flown to a hospital in Denver, where he was ultimately taken off life support.

In the middle of the hardest days of their lives, Chase's family made the extraordinarily difficult decision to donate his organs. The department said that gift gives others a second chance at life and reflects the values police strive to uphold, including service and putting others before ourselves. When the news first broke, our community came together to support Chase's family through their GoFundMe.

Billings Service for Chase Lantz Set for Saturday, Nov. 14 at Faith E Church

The service for Chase will be held Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. at Faith E church, off 32nd and Central. Please keep Chase's mom and everyone who loves him in your thoughts that day.

Billings City Council Reviews School Zone Speed Limits After Chase's Death

Chase's death has also moved city leaders to act. Councilor Andrew Lindley brought an initiative to the Billings City Council calling first for a review of the school zone near Will James Middle School, followed by a review of the zones at the city's other middle schools. Lindley said he hopes the council can look at middle schools "as rapidly as we can."

Lindley also pointed out that the council removed high schools and middle schools from the school zone policy in 1989, and he believes older students still need more protection than the average pedestrian. A full review of the entire policy would take more time, he said. Several residents spoke at the meeting urging action, including Leslie Cook, who asked the council to revisit the 1989 policy because Billings has grown so much since it was written.

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Billings Holds Chase Lantz and His Family Close in Its Heart

I don't have a way to make sense of any of this, and I don't think anyone does. What I have is a picture of Chase that I can't set down. He knew at four what he wanted to be, and he already had a plan to keep his mom close wherever his career took him.

I picture the man he could have become, a police officer in whatever city he chose, with his mom living right there. That is the future I keep grieving on his behalf, and as mom, it makes my heart ache for the woman who is now missing him.

To Chase's mom and everyone who loves him, I am thinking of you.