AKRON, Ohio — During the month of October, you may notice something different on the uniforms of Akron police officers—a hint of pink.

What You Need To Know

  • October is breast cancer awareness month

  • Akron Police are replacing their normal badges on their uniforms with a pink one

  • The department has raised thousands of dollars so far for breast cancer research

“It’s our way of saying we stand with you, we support you and we are using our platform to show that we care," said David Laughlin, a captain with the Akron Police Department. 

All month long, the officers are working to raise money for breast cancer research. So far, they’ve raised nearly $6,000 by selling the pink patches to the public.

“We’ve had pretty overwhelming support. Once we got the program going, we tried to be prepared in advance. We have had a few pre-sales to get things going but once we started ramping it up at the end of September, it has a big impact,” said Laughlin.

This is the first year for Akron's pink badge campaign and officers are hoping that is shows the community that we are all in this fight together.

"If we can help someone and help save a life that way, then it is even one more great thing as a part of the support we are giving to the program," Laughlin said.

About one in eight women develop breast cancer in their lifetime, which is a 13 percent chance, according to the American Cancer Society. 

And those sobering numbers have lead some officers to share their own experiences.

"This is how we have found out we have had officers who have been impacted by this. Is this therapeutic for them? I don’t know. But it is nice for them to share their family's story," Laughlin said.

The police department wants to remind the community to schedule their breast cancer screenings throughout this month.