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Law Enforcement Torch Run FAQS

QUESTION
" When did the Law Enforcement Torch Run begin?"

ANSWER
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for and increase awareness of Special Olympics.

He conceived the idea of a Torch Run as a way to involve local law enforcement personnel in the community with Special Olympics. Three years later, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) lent its support to this growing movement.

With IACP's enthusiastic support and leadership, as well as the involvement of all facets of the law enforcement community - sheriff's associations, police unions, state, county, municipal, military, and federal law enforcement agencies, and correctional officers - the Torch Run expanded to 50 states, 11 Canadian provinces, and more than 30 countries by 1999.

The Torch Run began in New York in 1985 with 2 5K runs, one in Colonie and one in Rochester. Since that time, the Torch Run has raised more than one million dollars through the participation of more than 4,000 law enforcement representatives across the state.

QUESTION
" How do law enforcement officers raise money?"

ANSWER
Most Torch Run programs raise money through the Torch Run itself; law enforcement officers who participate in the Run collect pledges in order to participate or collect sponsorships for each mile they run. The sale of Torch Run T-shirts to runners and to the public also generates significant money.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® has blossomed into a year-round fund-raising initiative. Some of the exciting fund-raisers put on by law enforcement officers in New York are: Golf Tournaments, Polar Plunges, Cops & Lobsters, Fantasy Raffle, and Plane Pull®, Fire Truck Pulls, Motorcycle Rallies, and more throughout the state.

QUESTION

"Why have law enforcement officers chosen to support Special Olympics?

ANSWER
From Chief Rick Carey's Desk...

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is a great way to participate in community and statewide events all the while building a sense of pride and accomplishment for the athletes of Special Olympics New York. The New York State Association of Chiefs of Police is a very strong supporter of the Law Enforcement Torch Run and we encourage all members of the law enforcement to participate and promote this most noteworthy cause.

- Chief Rick Carey, Glens Falls Police Department & New York State Association of Chiefs of Police

From Director James McMahon's Desk...

"I have been blessed to have the good fortune of being a New York State Trooper for the past 36 years. During this time I have witnessed people during periods of tremendous grief and anguish caused by terrorist attacks, prison uprisings and natural disasters. During the past three decades I have also witnessed the tremendous difference that concerned, caring professional law enforcement officers can make by not only providing a sense of calm and security to the general public but going above and beyond to encourage and inspire dreams for those who participate in Special Olympics New York. The Law Enforcement Torch Run has touched the lives of not only the athletes, but also the law enforcement officers across the state that support them."

- Director James McMahon, New York State Office of Public Safety


LETR Fast Facts

Nearly 3,000 runners in the 2005 Law Enforcement Torch Run ran the Flame of Hope 26 separate legs covering approximately 1,500 miles.

Across New York, thousands of law enforcement representatives have taken part including State Police, city, town and village police officers, FBI, sheriffs, Department of Corrections, Homeland Security, Parks Police and Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization.

The New York Law Enforcement Torch Run has literally reached hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers via media impressions.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics is the movement's largest grass-roots fund-raiser and public awareness vehicle, raising $21 million in 2005 alone.

More than 85,000 law enforcement officers around the world carried the Flame of Hope across 35 nations this year.

The Torch Run was quickly adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, now recognized as the founding law enforcement organization of the Torch Run for Special Olympics.

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