Orange Police Department – Giving Back to the Community written By: Kara Murray
For the officers at the Orange Police Department, their motto is not just “Protect and Serve,” it is Protect, Serve, and Fundraise. Giving back to the community and participating in various fundraisers is something they do when they are on and off the clock. Officer Denny Peterson said the most prevalent fundraisers he and the other officers participate in are events benefiting Special Olympics Connecticut, a non-profit that provides year-round sports training and competitions for over 12,000 individuals with disabilities.
Photo: Courtesy of Denny Peterson
Some of these fundraisers include Tip-A-Cop, where officers are paired up with wait staff at a local restaurant and assist in serving patrons to collect donations, and Cop-On-Top, where officers are perched on top of a local business and can’t come down until the fundraising goal has been met.
TORCH RUN “I have always been involved in volunteering and fundraising even before I became a police officer,” Peterson said. “When I first started with the Orange Police and was asked if I wanted to take part in Torch Run for Special Olympics Connecticut, I happily accepted.” The Law Enforcement Torch Run is a campaign to benefit the Special Olympics. The run is led solely by law enforcement and close to 97,000 police professionals in over 45 countries take part in this one-day event. “After my first Torch Run, I wanted to do more, so I became a Team Captain along with Lieutenant Heather WINTER 2020
From left to right: Retired Lieutenant Heather LaRock, Officer Denny Peterson, Detective Carolyn Bailey with Special Olympics athlete, Heather Campbell (center).
LaRock (now retired) and Detective Carolyn Bailey,” Peterson said. “I still wanted to do more, and at our yearly Torch Run Council Meeting, I was first introduced to the Super Plunge by an officer from the Middletown Police Department. It is one of those fundraisers only a select few were willing to take part in so I had to do it.”
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SUPER PLUNGE During the Super Plunge, participants plunge into the icy cold water of the Long Island sound or lake every hour for 24 hours straight at winter’s end, similar to a Penguin Plunge. Last year was Peterson’s first year doing it, and he decided to participate again this year from March 28th to the 29th, but | 25
