Cops climb to the top for Special Olympics

There were so many cops crawling around the Dunkin' Donuts on Route 59 in Naperville Friday morning that it was hard to tell if it was a crime scene or a roll-call meeting.

Turns out it was neither as a dozen officers from North Central College and Naperville Park District were helping raise awareness and garner donations for Special Olympics by participating in the annual Cop on Top event.

But these officers took it a step further for the cause - they had cops on the rooftop, cops in the doorways and cops in the drive-through lane.

"We've got it all covered," North Central Chief Mike Kelly said. "And that's a good thing because people have been very giving despite the cutting back on spending we've all been doing."

The fundraiser benefits Special Olympics through the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run, which sees more than 3,000 officers cover 1,500 miles carrying the Flame of Hope through the streets of their hometowns and to the State Summer Games this June in Normal.

Anyone who visited one of Illinois' 120 participating Dunkin' Donuts stores Friday and made a donation to the Torch Run received a free doughnut. Donations of $10 also earned participants a Law Enforcement Torch Run travel mug and coupon for free coffee all day.

Kelly was unsure of the officer's earnings for the day in Naperville, but said they were continuously busy taking donations from about 6 to 11 a.m. before things slowed down.

Aurora Sgt. Doug Podschweit was equally proud of the officers his department had at four locations. In total, he said the Aurora officers raised about $5,000.

"We were a little surprised at the number of people who showed up and their donations," he said. "Any donation earned a free doughnut but we were seeing a pretty constant stream of $10s and $20s so Aurora did a great job helping us out."

Dunkin' Donuts officials did not return calls Friday for comment.

Last year's event raised more than $182,000 for Special Olympics. This year's goal was $200,000 with a record 120 Illinois locations participating. But Torch Run officials were unsure Friday evening whether that goal had been reached.