Cops On Rooftops In Ocean City For Special Olympics

OCEAN CITY -- Seeing uniformed police officers standing on a store's roof, some in drag, some dressed in mascot costumes, all of them waving to the crowd below, is a spectacle that could only be for a good cause. Ocean City Police officers and Worcester County Sheriff's deputies teamed up for an event they called Cops on Rooftops. They partnered with Special Olympics Maryland and Dunkin' Donuts to raise money for the organization's Law Enforcement Torch Run. Their goal is to raise $10,000.

Officers will spend 24 total hours on the roof of Dunkin' Donuts at 119th Street in Ocean City. They were on their feet from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. yesterday, and will wrap it up today from 6 a.m.-noon.

"It's a spoof on the cops in doughnut shops thing, it is," said police spokesman Pfc. Mike Levy. "But you know what? I'll come to this Dunkin' Donuts every day because I know they support us and the community at large. I think it's going to be an awesome event."

Just shy of lunchtime, as the helicopter for television station WBOC hovered overhead, a gaggle of officers waved from the roof. Beside them was a costumed McGruff the Crime Dog, and Sparky, the Dalmatian firefighters' mascot. The costumes didn't last in the 80 degree heat.

Two sheriff's deputies were in costumes of their own because they lost a bet.

Heather Horner, an administrative assistant with the Sheriff's Office, decided she would raise $500 for the event on her own. Some of the deputies didn't think she could pull it off and agreed to dress in drag on the Dunkin' Donuts roof if she did.

"They thought it was a joke," she said with a smile.

Horner worked the phones, grilled Facebook friends and hit the pavement. She raised $1,054 in less than two days.

Detective Dale Trotter ended up doing princess waves from the rooftop, wearing a blonde wig, fuchsia nail polish and glittering eye makeup ---- not to mention the false bosom under his Torch Run T-shirt ---- while having a good laugh at his own expense. By 4 p.m. Saturday, officers had raised about $4,300 toward their goal, said police spokeswoman Jessica Waters, who said she was pleasantly surprised by the generosity."People come to Ocean City for a vacation, and they've already spent all this money to get here, all the money to stay here," she said. "Then they come in to get breakfast and they give to a community they don't even live in. It's nice to see people constantly give back."

John Trout, a morning DJ with radio station Froggy 99.9 took to the roof as well. He went on the air hourly to remind listeners that their donations were needed.

"We have seen hundreds of people stop in from all over the country," he said. "There's a lot of generosity out here, from young people driving in VWs to senior citizens, retired people coming up for the weekend. The Special Olympics knows no boundaries as far as age groups of people willing to give."

All seven Ocean City Council members stood on the roof early Saturday for about an hour. Councilwoman Margaret Pillas stayed, though, pledging not to leave the roof until the 20 friends she invited to donate showed with cash in hand.

She also initiated a side contest, starting at $50, to get Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino to eat a doughnut. DiPino does not partake in the glazed goodies. But, for the person with the highest bid, not only will the chief eat one, she will let someone feed it to her.

This is the second time for the promotion in Maryland, which originated among police in Illinois. Last year, the Dunkin' Donuts in Laurel, Md., and Laurel Police Department raised more than $7,000.

This year, Ocean City joins College Park, Glen Burnie, Laurel and Westminster among the Maryland municipalities with a Cops on Rooftops fundraiser. For next year's event, Levy said organizers would like to see police take to the rooftops of every Dunkin' Donuts franchise on the Eastern Shore.

He lauded Special Olympians for having the courage to go beyond their abilities, and for breaking down stereotypes and the image many people have of them.

"Some of the feats these athletes perform are amazing ---- they're amazing for everybody," Levy said. "Special Olympics gives them an opportunity to excel, and that's what we want to do for them, make sure they still have that opportunity."

Ocean City Police will welcome Special Olympics donations even after the event ends. For more information, call 443-235-4446.

www.delmarvanow.com

Great job!! Sounds like it was great fun too!