Sarasota Cops Plan Spin on Ice Bucket Challenge

It’s not quite the Ice Bucket Challenge and proceeds won’t benefit the ALS Association, but members of the Sarasota Police Department do plan to get pretty chilly and wet on Friday for a good cause.

Sarasota Officer David Kennedy was prompted by Los Angeles Police Officer John Dunlop to take part in what law enforcement officers are calling the Cold Water Challenge. This challenge is similar to the viral Ice Bucket Challenge, but proceeds benefit the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit that seeks to honor officers killed in the line of duty.

When Chief Bernadette DiPino and other members of the Sarasota agency heard about the challenge, they also decided to take part. A mass soaking is planned for Friday at 9 a.m. outside the department at 2099 Adams Lane.

DiPino, Kennedy and 40 other volunteers have all signed up to take the challenge. They’ve also pledged $10 each to the memorial page. Before getting soaked, each volunteer will read off the name of an officer who has been killed in the line of duty, an email from the department said.

“This is a way to bring the spotlight onto the men and women that put their lives on the line and never made it home at the end of their shift,” DiPino was quoted in the email as saying. “I want to thank our officers for their dedication but and their selfless service protecting the City of Sarasota every day.”

So far in 2014, 67 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in America, Sarasota Police say.

Photo Credit: Chief Bernadette DiPino at her swearing-in ceremony in 2013.