Law Enforcement Torch Run honors Special Olympics with statewide journey

Law Enforcement Torch Run honors Special Olympics with statewide journey

Cook County sheriff’s deputies joined other law enforcement and military personnel in the Law Enforcement Torch Run through Chicago to support the Special Olympics.

CHICAGO - If you see Cook County sheriff’s deputies running down Chicago streets, they are on an important duty. They are carrying the eternal flame of the Special Olympics Summer Games.

Law Enforcement Torch Run

The backstory:

The Law Enforcement Torch Run raises awareness and funds for the Special Olympics, with officers and recruits providing an official, hands-on escort throughout the state.

A Chicago police helicopter, with sirens activated, did a fly-by to officially start the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics at the corner of 31st Boulevard and Rockwell Avenue, the edge of the Cook County Jail.

Corrections officers, recruits, SWAT teams and military police stepped off to run through Chicago on to the south suburbs, Leg 5 of the Torch Journey.

Every step is dedicated to the athletes. 

What they're saying:

Sheriff Tom Dart thanked the Special Olympians for gathering. 

"To our athletes, excited you’re here today, thank you for coming. We are going to be cheering you on so so proud of you," Dart said.

The co-founder of Special Olympics, Retired Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, recalled the event’s humble beginnings: 

"Fifty-seven years ago, when I was working in West Pullman Park, there was no American Disabilities Act at that time, no programs for children or adults with learning differences."

The finish line, the stadium at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, where torches from all over the state will be carried in, symbolizing the unity of the Special Olympics and celebrating all the athletes.