Cleveland Heights Police Carry Torch For Special Olympics

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — On a sunny, humid Tuesday in June, a group of Cleveland Heights police officers donned a different uniform — shorts and a T-shirt with Ohio emblazoned on the front — picked up the Flame of Hope and jogged it through the city.

The moment was part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics, an awareness and fundraising event that sees police departments around the state carry a torch through 41 counties in Ohio. Some departments walk, some departments bike, Cleveland Heights ran.

The torch (and yes, there's a literal torch) is carried throughout the Buckeye State in late June. The torch passed through Cleveland Heights on June 25, and a group of officers carried the flame down the length of Mayfield Road.

Sergeant Matt Tasker was one of the Cleveland Heights officers involved. He told Patch he attended this year's torch run meeting at the Akron Academy to get prepared and to get officers signed-up (and donating) for the run.

"[The meeting] is also a good thing because it prepares officers to exercise and get in shape for the run," he said.

Tasker has been taking part in the Torch Run for several years, he said. He was initially roped in by an officer in Lyndhurst, but when Cleveland Heights became aware of the Run they quickly signed the department up.

"I have really enjoyed taking part in the run because it is not only for a good cause, but it shows the dedication of the Cleveland Heights Police Dept. And it’s Officers," Tasker wrote in an email to Patch.

The Torch Run has been passing through Ohio for 32 years, according to the Special Olympics website. Once the torch (also called the Flame of Hope) has been carried through 41 counties, it is brought to Columbus, where it is used to light a ceremonial cauldron that burns during the Ohio Special Olympics.

The history of Torch Runs stretches back to 1981, when police in Wichita, Kansas got the idea and, pardon the pun, ran with it. Ohioans soon picked up on it and have been carrying the torch since 1987.

For Tasker and other Cleveland Heights police, the Torch Run isn't just a symbolic gesture or a fundraising opportunity. It's a chance to unite the city.

"I really enjoy the team building and camaraderie that it brings to the community and our department," Tasker said.