Instead of saying, “License and registration, please,” three local police officers will soon be asking Ames residents, “Smoking or non-smoking?”

Iowa State Director of Public Safety Loras Jaeger, Ames Police Chief Dennis Ballantine and Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald will serve as celebrity hosts and waiters in the Ames Red Lobster restaurant from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27.

“Cops and Lobsters,” a statewide fund-raising promotion for the Iowa Special Olympics, will be held in 10 Red Lobster Restaurants from Feb. 16 to March 8.

Jaeger said the event is a good time to talk to people and develop good fellowship.

“People in the restaurant are positive about this event, and they think it’s a good idea,” Jaeger said. “It gives you a strong feeling to help people who are disadvantaged or with disabilities.”

This is the second year Jaeger has taken part in the event, and he said it is enjoyable. “I will help the waiters out and collect ‘donation’ tips for the promotion,” he said.

Jaeger said working as a waiter also enhances people’s understanding about DPS. “Some people in the restaurant asked me some questions about the Department of Public Safety when I took part last year,” he said.

The donation tips will benefit the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Iowa, a partnership between the law enforcement community and Special Olympics Iowa, which raises money and awareness for Special Olympics.

The promotion gives everyone the opportunity to rally around the same cause, said Jeanette Steinfeldt, associate director of development for Special Olympics Iowa, in a press release. It also brings law enforcement officers from all over the state closer to the communities they serve and allows them to become more active in their respective neighborhoods, she said.

“The cops taking part in the promotion are all volunteers,” Steinfeldt said. “People are surprised to have cops serving them.”

Last year, more than $5,000 was raised by the promotion in Iowa. Nationally, 725 Red Lobster Restaurants participate, raising more than $325,000 for Special Olympics programs across the country.

According to Jaeger, several DPS officers will also participate in the Special Olympics Torch Run, which will be held from May 18-21.

The Torch Run will both start and end in Ames, and the final leg of the run will go through the streets of Ames on May 21, as a procession of runners carry the torch to the Special Olympics opening ceremonies, said Steinfeldt.

The Special Olympics will be held from May 21 to 23 at ISU.