The Incredible Hulk has been sworn in as a police officer in Irving.

Funny story: that’s not why Lou Ferrigno was actually in North Texas. He was actually here, and this is completely true, for a pinball festival. Irving just happened to offer to make him a police officer.

Ferrigno’s father was a police lieutenant, and he was certified as a peace officer and worked as a reserve deputy in California and Ohio.

​Ferrigno took the oath from the chief of police, becoming an honorary officer, so the Hulk will not be smashing any speeders.

He took the oath at the Irving Police Assocation’s gym, so a bunch of kids were sitting on a boxing ring to watch. Ferrigno took questions from the kids, and they asked some solid questions:

The Incredible Hulk needed three or four hours to get green painted up. Loyal Scaiaholics will recall that I planned to dress as the Incredible Hulk at Halloween in high school. Because a student asked, I now know it would have taken forever to get into costume. Approximately twenty years later, I am now prepared to acknowledge maybe the school was making the right decision, after all. Maybe.

Also during that question, someone’s phone rang. We’re all guilty of poor cell phone etiquette sometimes, but I feel like interrupting the Incredible Hulk is a step too far. The Hulk may not smash any speeders, but a cell phone might be right in his wheelhouse.

He also doesn’t mind that he’s still known for playing the Incredible Hulk. He told the kids he was bullied when he was younger, and that’s why he started lifting, so he hopes his story can help kids get more comfortable talking about being bullied. He also told the kids not to start weight training until they’re 13 years old.

That’s where I made my mistake. I thought the age was 57. I was planning to get in shape when I was 57.

He could not have been more patient talking with reporters after the ceremony. The TV photographers were stringing microphones on him for interviews, and Ferrigno explained that he was starting to feel more like RoboCop.

I’ve also now got a picture of Lou Ferrigno giving me the thumbs up. I’ll talk to my emoji guy about making that a thing.