In "The Blues Brothers," Dan Aykroyd — along with his sidekick John Belushi — memorably tried to evade the law. Now, Aykroyd is the law.
The 61-year-old Canadian actor was sworn in as the newest member of the Hinds County Sheriff's Department's reserve squad on Friday. The ceremony took place at the group's Jackson, Mississippi, headquarters during which the "Ghostbusters" and "Spies Like Us" star received a uniform and badge.
"It's an honor to join these ranks today," the star said humbly during his swearing in. "I understand the challenges that law enforcement face in today’s world."
And Aykroyd, who previously served two law enforcement agencies in Louisiana for almost 16 years, said he wouldn't be scared to roll his sleeves up if duty called.
"If there's some raid and I have to go in and do some negotiation, or I have to do something that requires me to be on the front line, my experience there is obviously very limited — I've acted in this reserve capacity in some departments before and I know what that entails — but of course I now stand shoulder to shoulder and arm in arm with all the great young women than I've met here," he said.
Aykroyd will also help with fundraising.
"A lot of departments can't even afford ammunition for practice," he told the local Clarion Ledger newspaper. "It's that kind of tiny little challenge that you never think of. We're going to be aware of that and aware of maybe doing some programs and some fundraisers to supplement the resources of the department here."
Ghostbusting might be part of his duties as well. He joked that he had been told about a ghost in a local courthouse and said he'd check it out for the town.
Aykroyd's new gig came about while he was filming the James Brown biopic "Get On Up" — with Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer — in the area. He met some officers, really bonded with them, and then filled out a request to join the reserve unit. It's no surprise that it was quickly granted.
[Related: Dan Aykroyd Joins James Brown Biopic 'Get On Up']
"My family fell in love with this state on the last trip down here," he told the newspaper.
And Hinds County Sheriff Tyrone Lewis was sure glad he did.
"He's very qualified. He can hit the ground running, and he has credentials," Lewis said during the ceremony. Plus, "he kind of puts Hinds County on the map."
