from the Altadena Sheriff Station
Altadena deputies, families and friends will pick up the torch from Crescenta Valley Station and run into Altadena at approximately 2 PM, on Sunday, May 19, 2013. The Memorial Torch will run its final leg through Altadena to the Altadena Sheriff's Station. We would like to invite the public to cheer on the runners as they make their way north at Woodbury Road north onto N. Windsor Ave. and then east on Ventura St., north bound on Casitas Ave. to Altadena Dr. and then east bound to the Altadena Sheriff's Station.
The Memorial Torch Relay run was established in 1976 to honor the memory of those brave, dedicated peace officers in Los Angeles County who have sacrificed their lives in the performance of their duties.
This three day run consists of 56 legs with each leg approximately 5 to 10 miles in length and covering more than 300 miles. The memorial torch will pass to each of the mainland sheriff’s stations throughout the county. Avalon Station will conduct their relay on the island during the week. Over 2,000 runners, most of whom are peace officers run during their off duty time to honor the lives of the fallen. The relay run will begin Friday morning, May 17 at the Sherman Block Sheriff’s Headquarters Building in Monterey Park and travels to each mainland Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol station, ending at our very own Altadena Sheriff Station. Sheriff Lee Baca commemorates the event by leading the first leg of the run.
This is a special way to honor law enforcement and it is open to the public. This year’s Memorial Torch Relay Run honors the following officers:
- Deputy Constable Charles A. De Moranville, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, died on January 4, 1909, when he was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a man who had threatened a saloon owner in Newhall. The subject was arrested after murdering Deputy Constable De Moranville. De Moranville had served as a deputy constable in the Newhall district for two years. He was survived by his wife and four children.
- Chief Henry P. Tracy, Pomona Police Department, died on May 3, 1915. Chief Tracy was killed in a motorcycle accident while riding on the back of a motorcycle with another officer. The motorcycle was struck by a truck. He had just returned to service after recovering from a bullet wound received while chasing a suspect. Chief Tracey had only been chief for four years and had no prior law enforcement experience.
- Deputy Harry S. Guard, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, died on March 20, 1919, Deputy Guard was assigned as the Department chauffer in 1908. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department had taken possession of its first automobile the previous year. The Model T he was driving the day he and Deputy Benson were killed was open to the elements. It was a rainy afternoon and Deputy Guard's view was obscured by the elements and the odd design of the elevated trolley crossing on Telegraph Road where the collision with the trolley occurred. Many witnesses who testified at the coroner's inquest stated that the trolley motorman may not have sounded the warning bells until the last second and was likely traveling at a speed faster than that which was safe given the conditions. Deputy Guard was survived by his wife, mother and two sisters.
- Deputy Sheriff Emma Benson, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, died in the same accident on March 20, 1919. The two deputies, along with a third deputy, were returning to the jail after delivering a mental patient to a hospital in Norwalk when their Model T was struck. Deputy Benson was assigned to transporting female prisoners.
The memorial torch that the runners carry along the course will ultimately be used by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca to light the ceremonial flame at 10AM on Wednesday, May 29, 2013, at the Los Angeles County Peace Officers’ Memorial Wall at the STARS Center. The flame will be ignited in tribute to the fallen officers. The Sheriff's Training Academy and Regional Services Center (STARS Center) is located at 11515 S. Colima Rd, Whittier, CA 90604. The public is invited
"It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived."
—Vivian Eney Cross, Survivor
