COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Row House at College Station hosted its second annual "Battle of the Badges" competition Saturday to raise money for the Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC) in Bryan.
Officers and other station employees from Bryan Police Department, College Station Police Department, Brazos County Sheriff's Office and Texas A&M University Police Department competed to raise money for organizations they use often when handling sexual assault cases.
The event meant more to Meredith Paul, a patrol officer for College Station, than just beating the competition.
For her, it was about helping and advocating for victims of sexual assault.
"We actually were more doing this because we enjoy helping, we enjoy being part of a team, and we just wanted to be able to participate in this event," Paul said.
The teams selected five people to row 2,000 meters each for a total of 10,000 meters.
Paul said the event reminds her of why she became an officer in 2019 after working as a dispatcher.
"I don’t like working and feeling like I’m not doing something. I enjoy coming to work and feeling like I’m actually doing good everyday," Paul said.
The Row House and SARC partnered to host the event last year after seeing more victims visit the center.
Lindsey LeBlanc, owner of the franchise and executive director of the center, said the format was different this year, but the goal to raise as much money as possible remained the same.
"We need more support than ever that we need our community to rally behind us, so this is a great way for our community to get exposure to law enforcement and their support of SARC," LeBlanc said.
The competition raised about $4,700 this year compared to $2,000 last year.
Bryan Police Department won the rowing competition for a second time, taking home a trophy and other prizes provided by Physicians Premier Emergency Room.
Texas A&M University Police Department also won for having the most donations as community members voted for the team they thought would win.
The money will go toward counseling resources and the hotline.
LeBlanc said the event was also a way for law enforcement to connect with the community.
"We love to have our community members come out and support our law enforcement officers as well as SARC and Row House, so that collaboration and that awareness is really a huge component of this," LeBlanc said.
She said the center is ready to support 500-600 victims this year.
The event ended around noon on Saturday, but the center is still accepting donations online.