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The 2022 Law Enforcement Torch Run concluded in Troy on Friday. Each year, law enforcement officers carry a torch across the state to raise awareness for Special Olympics.

Each year, the torch run concludes in Troy when officers normally carry the torch to the Special Olympics being held at Troy University. However, due to concerns over COVID-19, the Special Olympics has been put on hold for the last couple of years.

“It’s an honor for us to be a part of this every year,” Troy University Police Chief and Law Enforcement Torch Run State Director George Beaudry said. “The Special Olympics will be back next year. It creates opportunities for those athletes they normally wouldn’t have.”

The Law Enforcement Troch Run began on May 24 in Huntsville and included stops in Decatur, Moody and Leeds, Oxford, Anniston, Pelham, Bessemer, Birmingham, Homewood, Harpersville, Auburn, Montgomery and Troy. The torch arrived in Troy around 2 p.m. and local law enforcement officers carried the torch from the troy Police Department to the academic quad at Troy University, which was the final leg of its journey.

According to the Law Enforcement Torch Run, it is “the largest public awareness vehicle and grass-roots fundraiser for Special Olympics. Known as Guardians of the Flame, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes carry the Flame of Hope into the Opening Ceremony of local competitions, and into Special Olympics State, Provincial, National, Regional and World Games. Annually, more than 110,000 dedicated and compassionate law enforcement members carry the “Flame of Hope,” symbolizing courage and celebration of diversity uniting communities around the globe.”