Who Won Augusta, Maine’s Battle of The Badges This Weekend?

I remember attending the charity fundraising game when I was a kid when it was still called 'Guns & Hoses'. Get it? A play on the classic rock band Guns n Roses, but it was about firefighters and police officers?

Police officers and firefighters have always had a long standing rivalry with members of the two public safety divisions often poking fun at each other. But what happened when all that pent up fun poking makes its way to a basketball court?

According to an article published by WGME 13, This Sunday the Augusta Maine Police Department and Fire Department got together for the epic Battle of The Badges, a fundraising basketball game between the two departments.

This year, the funds raised went to a cause that we've learned a lot more about over the last few months, an operation called Mission Working Dogs. Mission Working Dogs is a state-of-the-art service and therapy dog training center located in Oxford.

Christy Gardner, a double-amputee military veteran runs the outfit and has dedicated her life to the training of life-changing golden retrievers.

Matthew Estes, a detective with the Augusta Police Department, said in part about the weekend's game,

"It was great to see them come out and support the cause in the police department and fire department. It's a big part of our outreach to the community, in our community," 

Anthony Barton, an Augusta firefighter and paramedic, said in part,

"It's been a rough week for family and us at the fire department. I wanted to make sure that we had this moment, that there was a bunch of people coming with a bunch of people that love Randy to be able to set the memorial, put a little donation boot for the family," 

It was a great day full of laughter and basketball, however, when all was said and done, the Augusta Police Department walked away victorious.