Former Superman actor Dean Cain recently took to the media to show his support for police officers and thank them for their service in honor of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on January 9.

“Every single day should be Law Enforcement Appreciation Day,” Cain said in an interview on Fox & Friends.

Cain joined people across the country in acknowledging the roughly 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers serving in the U.S.

“When I was a kid, it was, ‘Don’t talk to strangers unless it’s a police officer because they’re good,’” said Cain, who portrayed the “Man of Steel” in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which aired from 1993 to 1997.

He added, however, that this positive sentiment toward the police has “turned into something completely different [today],” especially following the 2020 protests and movements to defund the police.

Cain, who also serves as a reserve police officer in Pocatello, Idaho, and a deputy sheriff in Frederick County, Virginia, praised his colleagues in law enforcement.

“They are these regular, wonderful people, who are … fantastic and wonderful people,” he said. 

Cain, who has worked in law enforcement for the past five years, said the purpose of the annual day of recognition is to raise awareness for the good things law enforcement members do every day across the country. 

“The first thing that any civilized community needs is security, safety,” he said. “Who provides that? It’s police officers.”

Cain said he became a reserve officer after meeting Frederick County Sheriff Lenny Millholland through friend and fellow actor Erik Estrada.

The Superman actor said that he first became interested in law enforcement after training with late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle on the 2012 reality show Stars Earn Stripes.

“I just want to help be a sort of conduit between law enforcement and regular people,” Cain said at the time. “I think people need to look beyond the badge and see the human being.”