Real Mount Prospect police wear pink on Saturday

Six Mount Prospect police officers will wake up today and make double sure their uniforms are pressed and clean. Because there is nothing worse than a wrinkled pink police shirt.

The officers will wear the shirts while providing traffic control for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk to raise funds to fight breast cancer. The walk's official color is pink.

"Last year was the first time we wore the pink shirts and people were kind of shocked," said Mount Prospect police officer Bill Roscop. "But it's such an easy gesture on our part, and we wanted to do more than make sure people crossed the street safely."

Along with wearing the pink shirts, Mount Prospect police have wrapped one of their squad cars in pink decals. More than 2,500 walkers will be strolling through Mount Prospect to raise money and awareness. The walk starts and ends at Oakton Community College and travels though parts of Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights and Arlington Heights today, Roscop said.

Last year, Mount Prospect police wore the pink shirts, but this is the first year the pink police car will make an appearance, Roscop said.

"We wanted to crank it up a notch," he said. "For the walkers, the first day is the big send off, the third day is the big finish, but when they come through Mount Prospect on the second day, that's the hardest part. That day is full of a lot of sore muscles and fatigue."

While walking through Mount Prospect, walkers will also pass Prudential Starck employees at the corner of Golf and Elmhurst roads.

Prudential employees will be passing out water and treats in honor of former employee Leslie Wagner Washburn, who worked for Prudential for more than 25 years. Washburn died last month after she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

"We still haven't cleaned out her desk," said one of Washburn's co-workers, Connie Hofherr. "She was loved by everyone."

No roads will be closed for the walk. All participants will be using sidewalks, Roscop said.