Seattle Mariners Pick Delivers Pizza Lunch To UW Police

SEATTLE, WA — Usually when people call the police, they're reporting a crime or some other emergency — they're not calling to arrange a large delivery of pizza.

But that's what Randy Bishop did on Monday when he called up the University of Washington Police. Bishop's son, Braden, a 2015 Seattle Mariners draft pick, wanted to buy lunch for the UW police but knew he would need his dad's ex-police expertise to make sure it went smoothly.

"You can't just send pizza to the police without saying who it's coming from," Braden Bishop said. "My dad is in law enforcement, and I knew he could call over there and set the whole thing up."

Around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, a Domino's delivery arrived at the station, providing enough pizza for two separate shifts. This is actually the second year Braden Bishop has sent pizza to UW Police (and last year, he also sent pizza to Seattle Fire Station 17). But this year, he teamed up with Chicago White Sox pitcher Carson Fulmer. Fulmer and Bishop were together at UW recently for baseball training.

"Coming from a family that's deep-rooted in law enforcement, it's important to me to show my appreciation to what they do to keep our community safe," Braden Bishop, 23, told Patch. "It's just a little holiday spirit and appreciation."

Bishop, who is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, is a graduate of UW. He was picked in the third round of the MLB draft by the Mariners in 2015. He's been playing for minor league teams as he develops, but he also keeps a focus on giving back. Aside from buying pizza for police, he and his brother run a charity called 4MOM, which raises money for Alzheimer's research. Bishop's mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at age 54.

"When Braden came up with this idea [of the pizza delivery], I couldn't call [UW] fast enough," Randy Bishop said of his son. "It's about giving back. That's what I'm most proud of with his charity: it's never about what you're going to give to me, it's about giving back to make a difference. That's what he does best."

UW Police Commander Steve Rittereiser said that the department greatly appreciated the pizza. What Braden Bishop did for the police wasn't such a big surprise, Rittereiser said, but it was a surprise that he thought to do it two years in a row.

"It's not like he arbitrarily had a thought about this; he just thinks with great generosity," Rittereiser said.

But the most important question about the delivery: How did they decide on what toppings to get? Bishop opted for variety. He didn't want to assume everyone would want a pepperoni slice.

"We were all-inclusive — we had meat, cheese, and veggie," he said.

Images via UW Police and Randy Bishop