Police gather for annual ‘Cop on a Rooftop’
PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM — Three law enforcement officers wave from the rooftop of Dunkin’ Donuts Friday morning. They were participating in the annual Cop on a Rooftop event to raise funds for Special Olympics Iowa.
Marshalltown resident and Special Olympics athlete Blaine Fisher showed up in support of the annual Cop on a Rooftop event at Dunkin’ Donuts Friday morning.
PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM — Three law enforcement officers wave from the rooftop of Dunkin’ Donuts Friday morning. They were participating in the annual Cop on a Rooftop event to raise funds for Special Olympics Iowa.
Marshalltown resident and Special Olympics athlete Blaine Fisher showed up in support of the annual Cop on a Rooftop event at Dunkin’ Donuts Friday morning.
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Folks driving on Center Street on the south side of town Friday morning might have noticed a slew of law enforcement vehicles in front of Dunkin' Donuts . . . and three officers standing on the roof for the annual Cop on a Rooftop.
From 5 a.m. to noon, law enforcement from the Marshalltown Police Department, Marshall County Sheriff's Office, State Center Police Department, Department of Corrections and Iowa State Patrol gathered at the donut shop to raise money for Special Olympics Iowa. At 8:30 a.m., there was a line of cars extending down LaFrentz Lane to Center Street, drivers and passengers eager to get a sugar rush or a coffee jolt to start their Friday, and to support the cause.
On the ground in front of the Dunkin' Donuts door, Marshall County Sheriff Joel Phillips and Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper were present to thank supporters.
"This is a good collaboration of law enforcement," Phillips said.
This is the eighth year of the fundraiser, and the sheriff said the date was moved. Before, the event was held in August, but it coincided with the dates of the Iowa State Fair. Holding it in May, he said there would be more participation.
"Something we're doing this year is QR codes and Venmo transfers," Phillips said. "We did Venmo last year, and it has really taken off. We encourage people to come to the Marshalltown location so we can get credit for that."
Phillips said the point is to raise funding for the Special Olympics, and said there might be a little bit of a competition among agencies to see who can raise the most money throughout the state.
"Oh, it's a competition," Tupper said. "I think we raised the most one year with this location."
Tupper added it would be a few days until the highest-raiser is revealed.
Jerry Lowe, community program coordinator with the Iowa Special Olympics, was also present and said Cop on a Rooftop began in 2015.
"It was figured it was a fun way to do some fundraising, that we can use the funds for our athletes," he said. "We have about 15,000 athletes in the state of Iowa. When we do fundraising, we want to make sure we have enough to support them.
Blaine Fisher of Marshalltown is one such Special Olympics athlete who showed up with his mother Kandy to support the effort. Fisher is no stranger to the Special Olympics, with 18 years of competition under the medals gracing his neck.
"I do swimming, bicycle, cross country skiing, and now I'm doing walking," he said. "I used to do bowling, as well. So, lots of sports."
Kandy added Fisher is also a Global Messenger and engages in public speaking.
"The most I have ever spoken in front of was 1,000 people," Fisher said.
In the eight years the statewide event has been operating, more than $170,000 has been raised for Special Olympics Iowa.
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Contact Lana Bradstream
at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or
lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.