Law Enforcement Torch Run

| April 28, 2010 2:01 PM

The 2010 Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR) for Special Olympics Montana is underway.

Look for them as over 200 law enforcement officers from almost every branch of law enforcement will lace up their running shoes, ride a bike or jump in the saddle to take part in a 2,300 mile Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics Montana beginning April 27th. Runners will carry the Flame of Hope across Montana, converging into the Montana State University Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman for the Opening Ceremonies of the State Summer Games, May 12, 2010.

The Torch Run will make stops in numerous towns throughout the state including Scobey, Medicine Lake, Kalispell, Billings, Glasgow, Malta, Butte, Dillon, Anaconda, Conrad, Havre and Lewistown.

Along the way, officers raise funds and public awareness for Special Olympics Montana athletes through donations and T-shirt sales. In 2009, the Montana LETR raised over $390,000 for Special Olympics Montana through year-round the Torch Run and special events such as Polar Plunges, Tip-a-Cops, Building Sits, Duck Races and Fire Truck Pulls. This year's Premier Law Enforcement Agency Sponsor is the Montana Police Protective Association and Tim and Mary Barnard are the Premier Mission Sponsor of the Montana Torch Run.

Several law enforcement agencies are participating in the run including US Border Patrol, Whitefish Police Department, Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Montana State Prison, Helena Police Department and Montana Highway Patrol. "Once officers get involved they are hooked," said Lt Jack Allen, Montana Torch Run Director. "It's a mutually satisfying experience where we create special relationships that are genuine and long-term."

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is an annual international program that involves thousands of Law Enforcement personnel raising millions of dollars annually to benefits Special Olympics programs in the United States and abroad. The Torch Run is the largest grassroots fund-raiser and public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics and has raised over $125 million since its inception in 1981. The Sanders County torch run will take place Saturday, May 1.