Black Mountain Police Department aims high with upcoming fundraisers

Cops on Top and Hacking for Heroes to support global and local causes

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 13, 2022

Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker, left, and Officer Brad DeMuth discuss plans for the May 13 and 14 Cops on Top for Special Olympics N.C. fundraiser. Photo by Fred McCormick

A sworn duty to serve and protect typically requires Black Mountain Police officers to patrol the streets, but the department is shifting its focus skyward with a pair of new fundraisers supporting local and global initiatives.

The first will place local law enforcement officers atop the roof of a prominent local business for 30 hours, while the other will feature towering drives on the fairways of the Black Mountain Golf Course.

BMPD is launching its first Cops on Top for Special Olympics campaign beginning at 5 p.m., Friday, May 13. Officers will spend four-hour shifts on top of the Ingles in Black Mountain, raising funds and awareness in support of Special Olympics N.C. athletes. The last officer will be relieved at 11 p.m., Saturday, May 14. 

The event, which will include additional officers selling t-shirts and collecting donations, represents a cause that has long been important to Chief Steven Parker. 

“I’ve been supporting the Special Olympics, in one way or another, for over 20 years,” he said. “My nephew, who passed away two years ago, was special needs, and he was involved in the Special Olympics, so I have a big heart for those athletes.”

Cops on Top has become an increasingly popular fundraising drive for departments across the country, Parker added. 

“This is one way we can not only show our support for these young athletes, but also generate funding they need to compete,” he said. “We know this is a generous community, so we’re excited to bring this initiative here.”

The entire department is participating in Cops on Top, which will coincide with the return of Safety Saturday. The public awareness campaign, featuring equipment and demonstrations from multiple area agencies while promoting safety within the community, will return to the south side of the Ingles parking lot, beginning at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 14. 

“We didn’t set a fundraising goal for this, since this is our first year,” Parker said of Cops on Top. “But we’re hoping to raise somewhere between $3,000 to $5,000, then double that next year.”

Another inaugural event organized by the BMPD — Hacking for Heroes — will focus on local initiatives when it make its debut at 11:30 a.m., Friday, June 3. The captain’s choice tournament at the Black Mountain Golf Course is raising money to support various department community outreach initiatives, including providing Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts to area residents in need; the BMPD Teen Cadet and officer recognition programs.

“Our hope with this tournament is that it will become that one time a year that we can raise funds to support, and hopefully enhance, those programs,” Parker said. “We’re trying to make our existing programs stronger, while hopefully opening up opportunities for others, such as the Roc Solid Foundation that builds playgrounds from children fighting pediatric cancer.”

The event, which will be catered by Green Tee Grille, is sponsored by several area businesses, including Stone Creek Health & Rehabilitation, Givens Highland Farms, AC Landscaping Solutions, My Father’s Pizza, and more. Sponsorship opportunities are available through mid-May, Parker said. 

Registration, available at birdease.com/BMPDgolf, is open through May 27. Golfers can register as single players or in groups up to four. 

“We’ll be serving lunch before the tournament begins,” Parker said. “At the end of the day, we’ll meet up and announce awards for first, second and third place, as well as for longest drive and closest to the pin.”

The money collected by the tournament will support some of the department’s most visible programs, according to the chief. 

“We want to help people in need,” Parker said. “Law enforcement is embracing the servant aspect of its role in the community, and that’s a big reason we want to enhance these programs. It’s important for us to continue building relationships within the community, but it’s also important that we’re helping people in need.”