LEWISTON – Cops don’t need people poking fun at them. They’re capable of doing it themselves.

At a local Dunkin’ Donuts Friday, three uniformed officers stuffed their faces in a – what else? – doughnut-eating contest.

Embracing the stereotype for a good cause, the winner managed to gobble up a half-dozen glazed in less than five minutes.

Lewiston Officer Jason “Canine Handler and Doughnut Mangler” Nadeau devoured the competition. Second-place finisher, Auburn’s David “The Human Vacuum” Madore, still had one balled-up doughnut in his box when Nadeau swallowed his final crumbs and presented an empty mouth to the judges.

Michael J. Chavez, a Maine State Police trooper nicknamed “Mike the Mouth” and “Punisher of Pastries,” didn’t exactly live up to his boastful sobriquets. In fact, his dainty nibbling put him three-and-a-half doughnuts off the winning pace.

The event raised about $100 for Maine Special Olympics. More important, it raised awareness of the upcoming program through publicity generated by three munchkin-munching crime-fighters, said local spokesman and organizer Marc Robitaille, a Lewiston police sergeant. He presented a small plaque emblazoned with a frosted doughnut to Nadeau, who shook visibly from a severe sugar high.

No injuries were reported.

It was the third annual contest at the Main Street doughnut shop and something of a grudge match. Last year, Lewiston’s champion, Matt Vierling, wolfed down his half-dozen at blazing speed. He had hoped to defend his title, but couldn’t make it due to a scheduling conflict.

The three officers cut svelte figures, shattering the image of the bingeing cop. Madore, the heaviest in the trio, weighed in at a mere 195 pounds. Seated outside the shop, they were cheered on by a circle of screaming fans, including several Special Olympics athletes.

Nadeau appeared to endorse the mash-and-gulp technique; he shoved all of the doughnut that would fit into his mouth, chased by long swigs of water.

Madore favored a wad-and-sip approach, balling the doughnut into a dense, cruller-like shape before biting off chunks and wetting it often with small portions of water.

By contrast, Chavez looked as though he were enjoying finger sandwiches at the Plaza. He even looked up from his quarry periodically with an amused, sticky smile.

Asked what he planned to do to celebrate his victory, Nadeau snubbed Disneyland to announce: “I’m gonna go get some breakfast.”