Members of the Monterey Park Police Department Running Team participated in the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run on Thursday, June 10, 2010. The runners received the torch from the San Gabriel Police Department Running Team at Del Mar Avenue and the 10 Freeway. The Monterey Park Police runners will then carry the torch for a 5-mile run bouncy castle for sale to pass it on to the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department running team at Atlantic Boulevard and 3rd Street in East Los Angeles.

The Special Olympics Torch Run was conceived in 1981 by Chief Richard LaMunyon of the Wichita, Kansas Police Department as a way to involve his officers in the community by running a torch relay for their local Special Olympics. The Torch Run has grown to include over 100 separate runs in over 35 nations. The Torch Run has become the largest grassroots fundraising and public awareness event for the Special Olympics.

The 2010 Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run will involve more than 4,000 officers who were honored to carry the Special Olympics torch over 1,500 miles through 200 communities. The Monterey Park Police team was scheduled to receive the torch at approximately 12:30 p.m.

For more information regarding the Law Enforcement Torch Run, please see the Special Olympics of Southern California’s Torch Run website at http://www.sosc.org/torchrun/.