TV Superman Trades In Cape for Police Shield In the Real World
St. Anthony, a small community located in eastern Idaho finally recruited Superman as one of their real-life police officers.
Actor, producer and writer Dean Cain, who played the break-out role of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent who hid his true identity as Superman in the hit television series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” surprised many of his Hollywood connections and his fans by taking on crime and disasters as an actual cop.
Cain was sworn-in as an officer with the Idaho State Police on Tuesday, reports the Idaho Statesman. Cain is now serving as a reserve officer.
But Cain is not alone as a Hollywood hero joining a police department. One of his best friends, “CHiPs” star Erik Estrada, who became a St. Anthony police reserve officer in 2016.
Estrada had already possessed a history of law enforcement service. He had served as a Virginia reserve police officer and as reserve officer in Indiana. The two actors plan on working together on Estrada’s “All About Kids” task force, which instructs youngsters on how to be safe on the worldwide web.
Cain told several reporters that “real heroes don’t wear capes. Real superheroes wear uniforms and badges and stethoscopes. Real superheroes are members of our military, law enforcement, and first response units. Pretend Superheroes wear capes!” He also said his immense respect for first responders inspired him to become a reserve officer.
“I completely relate to people who will put themselves and their lives on the line to help others who need that help, or are unable to help themselves … There are certain people who react well in life-threatening situations, and our military and our law enforcement and our first responders tend to be those types of folks.”
Both Estrada, 69, and Cain, 51, claim their training was extensive.
Besides Officers Cain and Estrada, other celebrities who’ve traded the limelight for the streetlights include Basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal, who worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Atlanta, Georgia, and actor and martial arts master Steven Seagal who served as a deputy sheriff in El Paso, Texas, and in Maricopa County, Arizona. The towering O’Neal graduated from college with a bachelor of science degree in Criminology.
