The 24th Annual Memorial Peace Officer's Torch Relay Run started off from LA County Sheriff's Headquarters in Monterey Park Friday. The torch relay consists of 60 legs, four to ten miles long, totaling nearly 300 miles. There is also a parallel 26 mile run on Catalina Island. The run will finish mid-afternoon Sunday at the Altadena Sheriff's Station.
The Torch Relay honors the memory of those brave and dedicated individuals in Los Angeles County who sacrificed their lives in the performance of their duty during the past year. This year's run is in honor of two officers: Altadena Sheriff Deputy Charlene Rottler, who died Jan. 3, 2010, from injuries she sustained in a 1972 on-duty traffic collision with a drunk driver. She endured 55 major surgeries over the rest of her life trying to repair the injuries she had sustained; and California Highway Patrol Officer Philip Ortiz, who died June 22, 2010, as he was conducting a traffic stop and was hit by a driver speeding on the shoulder of a freeway.
Hundreds of peace officers of all agencies, civilian employees, and family and friends of the extended law enforcement family participate in the run.
Photo of the start of the run courtesy Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept.
