There will be a lot of bald cops, officials, dispatchers, and kids around town now

They came, they submitted, they lost their hair. More than 50 police officers from Walnut Creek and Concord, as well as the chief of Walnut Creek police, an assistant city attorney, several female police employees and some kids draped themselves in the green apron. And, they sat there smiling, laughing, maybe a little teary-eyed and maybe a bit in shock, as they had their hair taken off--first with scissors then with an electric razor. All of it went, until all they had on top of their heads was a dome of peach-fuzz like stubble.

The occasion Tuesday evening at Walnut Creek's Civic Park Community Center was a fundraiser for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a nonprofit that holds these shave-a-thons to show solidarity with and raise money for children diagnosed with cancer.

Walnut Creek police organized Tuesday's event, looking to raise at least $29,000 Tuesday evening.

Instigator Sgt. Lanny Edwards got City Council member Kish Rajan to submit, as well as Police Chief Joel Bryden, and a lieutenant or two. Some Concord officers came along as well, to show they can raise money and submit to a head shave as well as Walnut Creek officers. Top fundraisers for the event, nudged on by an informal contest set up by Edwards, were Edwards himself, who sacrificed his thick silver crop, Assistant City Attorney Bryan Wenter, who until Tuesday evening had a very dark, thick head of hair,  and Lt. Mark Perlite, who was also being nudged, for the right price, to give up his stylish goatee. More than $10,000 was raised among the three of them.

Some of the biggest applause went to female police employees who gave up their hair for the cause. They included dispatchers Alisha White and Carrie Moore. The latter donated three long braids of blond hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit that takes donated hair and makes it into quality hair pieces for financially disadvantaged children with cancer.

Records technician Carol Earley did it on a whim after being told the crowd would put it a couple hundred dollars. "If you can get me in in the next 15 minutes, I'll do it," she said. Afterwards, she rubbed the soft feeling stubble and contemplated what her husband would say

Walnut Creek Intermediate sixth grader Brendan Miller sat to have his once blond, until more recently dyed black and orange hair shaved off. Just before he was to sit for his head shaving, he learned he had brought in another donation, reaching his goal of $2,000 for the event.