CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — A beautiful bright Sunday set the stage at Garden City Center for the annual Cranston Police & Fire "Hot On Your Heels" 5K.
This is the third year the event has been a fundraiser for the Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation. Pagano was the Cranston resident and firefighter who was shot and killed by his neighbor in May 2008.
"The foundation provides grant money for character building programs for kids K-12 in Cranston. He loved the community, he loved the brotherhood, he loved the firefighters he worked with, he was all about his family, loved his kids, and that's why we decided to make his legacy about children," said his sister Lisa Pagano, who’s President of the Foundation.
Also featured at the 5K, were members of the Cranston Police Department’s K-9 unit.
Officer Gregg Bruno and his K-9 Zeus are featured in 2018 calendars that are being sold to raise money for the nonprofit organization Vested Interest, which provides bullet- and stab-proof vests for police K-9's.
"They custom fit the vest for the dogs and deliver them to the dogs so they go out protected like the rest of us," said Capt. Vincent McAteer of the Cranston Police Department.
Sunday’s community 5K featured a Kids Fun Run, followed by a 5K race.