PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Don't be alarmed on Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, when heading to the Pittsfield Wal-Mart for your holiday shopping: Those police vehicles you'll find in the parking lot are a good thing - a very good thing, in fact, for local Special Olympics athletes.

Law enforcement officers from the Pittsfield Police Department, Berkshire County Sheriff's Office and other local and state police agencies, will be taking part in an event called "Cop on Top" – a fundraiser for Special Olympics Massachusetts where local officers volunteer their free time during this holiday season and stand high atop the Pittsfield Wal-Mart until they reach their fundraising goal.

The goal for the Pittsfield event is to raise $55,000. Event organizers are hoping to surpass that goal with an event featuring  food, huge prize raffle, giveaways, local Special Olympics athletes and lots of good-spirited law enforcement officers. The event will kick off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, with the Pittsfield Fire Department hoisting the first brave group of officers on the roof and local Special Olympic athletes lighting the ceremonial Special Olympic cauldron that will burn throughout the event.

Berkshire County Officers involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run Program for Special Olympics have raised more than $500,000 over the last five years through various fundraising endeavors including Cop on Top. The Berkshire County LETR Program is the highest-grossing fundraising program in the State of Massachusetts.

Special Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA) provides year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programming for nearly 12,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the state. Locally, more than 600 athletes take part in Special Olympics programming and are able to do this at no cost.