For about ten years now, the Caribou Police Department along with other local police departments, the Maine Warden Service, local U.S. Border Patrol agents, local U.S. Customs officers and Maine State Police have participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run. This is a worldwide event, and will take place in Caribou on Thursday, June 4.
According to specialolympics .org, the run is the largest public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics. Since its inception in 1981, it has grown significantly worldwide, with over 97,000 volunteers spanning 46 countries.
The run is about much more than fundraising. It is about raising awareness for Special Olympics through communities worldwide, and local law enforcement are truly supportive of the cause.
“Any officer can give back a little on that day,” Caribou Police Officer, Chad Cochran, said.
Cochran has been participating in the torch run for five years now.
There are currently six individuals running for Caribou from the Caribou Police Department, the Maine Warden Service, and Maine State Police.
The run begins at Cary Medical Center and continues to the radio station on Presque Isle road. The torch will then be passed to the Presque Isle Police Department, who will then pass it to Mars Hill.
“It gives you something positive to do,” Presque Isle Police Officer, Joey Seeley, said. “[The run] is what has kept me going in the police profession.”
Seeley has been participating in the torch run since 1991, and says he is hooked for life.
The state of Maine raised about $250,000 with last year’s torch run.
The run begins at 8 a.m. at Cary Medical Center. Runners will be followed by a police cruiser.
