Waterford — It’s a longstanding practice meant to remind current officers of those who’ve served in the past: Each time a Waterford police officer dies, a new, hand-painted portrait is commissioned and then given a spot within the department’s walls.

But for honorary Officer Madeline Guarraia, a 9-year-old who died in April after her second bout with cancer, police broke with tradition — at least, part of it.

“I originally thought about putting her portrait with the deceased officer portraits in the hallways,” said Chief Brett Mahoney. “But because that little girl affected the community so much, I wanted her to be looking out on everybody as they walked in the lobby."

Via Facebook on Thursday evening, police broke the news that they’d hung a portrait of Guarraia in their lobby. They encouraged residents to stop by and take a look.

"It's just a reminder to everybody of what's important in life," Mahoney said.

For about 15 months, Guarraia and her family captivated people near and far as they documented her struggle with leukemia on Facebook, from the good days to the small victories to the lowest lows.

On Friday, the Mad About Madeline page still had more than 30,000 “likes,” with uplifting posts from users continually flowing in.

Waterford police documented their experiences with Guarraia in a similar way: through Facebook posts filled with smiling officers and a smiling Guarraia.

Although Guarraia was from East Lyme, Mahoney explained, her parents are teachers in Waterford.

It was back in March 2015 that, upon learning the girl loved police officers and K-9s, police decided to team up with other agencies to take her on an epic, multi-agency tour and make her an honorary Waterford officer. After checking out the Waterford station, she got to tour a state police helicopter and then took a trip aboard a regional police boat on the Niantic River.

When she got back, she met her new boss, former Chief Murray J. Pendleton.

In the months that followed, Guarraia met officers from several other departments, attended roll calls, rode along with Waterford officers, participated in a set-up vehicle stop and chatted back and forth with dispatchers on the radio.

“The officers got as much out of it as we hope she did,” Mahoney said of their time with Guarraia.

Mahoney said Waterford police planned immediately to commemorate Guarraia with a portrait, but didn’t have money for it in the budget.

Ordinarily, the portraits are paid for out of the Chief’s Contributed Gifts fund. But police wanted to have a portrait made for the family, too, and to purchase “In Memory of Madeline Guarraia” pins for officers’ uniforms.

That’s when the Pendleton Foundation, formed by Pendleton and his family, came forward with a generous donation.

“It was a relief,” Mahoney said. “We needed to figure out a way to do this, so (the donation) was a nice way of tying everything together.”

In the portrait, based on a photo the Mad About Madeline page posted March 15, is a beaming Guarraia, suited up in the uniform a sergeant had made for her and a hat she was given while taking the March 2015 tour.

“I'm not sure we can ever explain how much this means to our family,” Madeline’s mother, Amie Warren Guarraia, wrote in a comment below Waterford police’s Facebook post about the portrait. “The way you honored her while living, and continue to celebrate her bravery now, is incredible.”

Looking at a picture in his office of about 20 Waterford officers at Guarraia’s funeral, Mahoney said her death affects them like it would anyone else.

“You look at this little girl, she’s supposed to have a full life ahead of her, but gets picked to go through something awful two times,” he said, “and you think about your own kids. You feel horrendous for the family.”

“That little girl is always with us,” he continued. “But, now having that constant reminder in the lobby ... it’s nice.”

l.boyle@theday.com