A group of more than 50 law enforcement and military officers ran through the streets of Alexandria on Wednesday afternoon as part of the
Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. The leg of the run from State Police’s Troop E to the Alexandria Levee Park Amphitheatre — about two miles — is just one of many that has been run by area officers. Officers ran to Alexandria on Tuesday from Shreveport and Monroe, and on Wednesday morning came in from Leesville. U.S. Army Spc. Amanda Swimmer, who is stationed at Fort Polk, participated in several legs of the run from Leesville to Alexandria. In her last leg — from Troop E to downtown — she was able to carry the “flame of hope.” “This is my first time to participate, but it is a great cause and a good opportunity to run,” Swimmer said after the run. “It is good to have something that these children can participate in like the Special Olympics.” Evelyn Crooks, the Central Louisiana area chairperson for Special Olympics, said the work of the law enforcement officers — not just during the actual runs but all year-round — means so much to the athletes. “We simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do — participate in the games, travel — if it wasn’t for the money raised by these law enforcement officers,” she said. “And it is so great for our athletes to get to meet the officers throughout the state. It is an honor for them, and they have friends throughout the state in these officers.”
Getting to interact with the athletes means a lot to the officers as well, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Detective Ricky Ouber said. He’s been involved in the event for 18 years now.