RAPID CITY, SD – Law enforcement had a presence on Omaha Street Friday morning raising money for local Special Olympics athletes through Cops on a Donut Shop.

True to the fundraiser’s name, two law enforcement officers were on the roof of Jerry’s Cakes and Donuts waving a sign, bringing people to the popular donut shop in Rapid City to support Special Olympics South Dakota.

Supporting the effort was simple – donate to Special Olympics and get a ticket for two free donuts courtesy of Jerry’s Cakes and Donuts.

Cops on a Donut Shop has a long history of supporting Special Olympics South Dakota and this year was a combined effort of the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Box Elder Police Department.

Sgt. Amanda Swanson, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, said she has been involved in the fund raiser for just the past four years, but her father – Sgt. Bill Egan with the Rapid City Police Department – brought the event to life in the late 1980s creating what became the unique, decades long tradition.

Jerry’s Cakes and Donuts was a bit busier than usual Friday morning for the Special Olympics fundraiser.

Swanson said her father was the director for the law enforcement Torch Run, an event that runs the torch to the larger Special Olympics events, so he was involved with the organization and law enforcement’s role in fund raising.

So how did they come up with “Cops on a Donut Shop?”

“People look at cops and they eat donuts so it’s just a funny thing to do with it,” Swanson said. “I think it all just started with a bunch of cops sitting around a table and saying, ‘hey, this sounds like a good idea to raise money’ and it works.”

Jerry’s Cakes and Donuts is an institution in Rapid City having been in the donut business for 50 years. On Friday, people lined up to get a donut and coffee, many with tickets for free donuts having just donated to Special Olympics South Dakota.

The popular donut stop has been hosting Cops on a Donut Shop for the past four years.

“I think it’s a good deal,” LeAnn Schubert, owner, Jerry’s Cakes and Donuts said. “Special Olympics is just really special. I think that they can get all the help that they need.”

Today, Special Olympics has grown in Rapid City to include three teams – the Flame, the Storm and the Riptide and law enforcement has a variety of activities to support the athletes.

Law enforcement has a history of supporting the Special Olympics’ athletes in the community. While Cops on a Donut Shop is an annual event bringing in anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 for the day that runs from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., there’s also Tip a Cop, the Torch Run across the state, and the Polar Plunge which will be held in Rapid City on the last Sunday in February.

“And so, cops are the biggest driving force behind raising money for Special Olympics so that’s where he became involved with raising money,” Sgt. Swanson said. “So, this is one of the things along with, like, the Polar Plunge we’re doing in February.”

If you missed getting a donut on Friday but want to learn more about Special Olympics fund raising and activities, check out the Black Hills Area Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Facebook page or visit the South Dakota Special Olympics website.

“The money that we raise, especially here in Rapid has such a huge impact for our athletes,” Sgt. Swanson said. “We would really like to help them and give them what they need so they can go off and do all these events that are so important to them.”