On Monday night, top brass from the fire department and police department surprised him during the academy roll call.
Officials say they wanted Velastegui and his family to know he has a lot of people pulling for him in these difficult times.
"This thing was amazing. I really feel special for this. I wasn't expecting this. They just told me to come and then I just received this. So yeah, I think it's pretty amazing," said Velastegui.
Velastegui says he hopes to one day become a U.S. marshall.
