Law enforcement officers in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria could be found Friday morning perched atop rooftops at Dunkin’ Donuts shops in honor of Special Olympics.
Cop on a Rooftop occurred at dozens of Dunkin’ Donuts outlets throughout Southern California, with events held at the two Santa Barbara County locations.
At the Dunkin’ Donuts on State Street in Santa Barbara, members of the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department were joined by representatives from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office to give out free coffee coupons for donations.
“We had a good number of officers there handing out coupons for free coffee,” said Gina Carbajal, regional director for the Special Olympics Southern California Santa Barbara Region. “It was just a really good event. I didn’t know that many people show up and get coffee and doughnuts in the morning.”
Those who participated included District Attorney Joyce Dudley, according to Carbajal.
At the Santa Maria Dunkin’ Donuts on South Broadway, officers from the Santa Maria and Guadalupe police departments helped draw business — and donations.
Officers’ antics, including waving signs touting free coffee and mock biting an inflatable doughnut, drew honks of support from passing motorists.
While the Santa Barbara effort raised about $640, Santa Maria’s collected roughly $1,000.
It turned out to be a busy day for Special Olympics supporters at both ends of the county as the school games occurred at Girsh Park on Friday, and the Northern Santa Barbara County Special Olympics annual crab feed fundraiser, with tickets sold out beforehand, occurred Friday night in Santa Maria.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Southern California is the largest public awareness and grassroots fundraiser with more than 3,500 officers in Southern California championing acceptance and inclusion.
Fundraisers of all types occur throughout the year, and law enforcement officers often can be found supporting Special Olympians during competitions.
In Southern California, the Law Enforcement Torch Run raised $1.52 million in 2016 with participants representing 200 law enforcement agencies.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.