RUPD hosts Law Enforcement Torch Run kickoff

Rice University Police Department hosted the launch of the annual Gulf Coast Law Enforcement Torch Run May 25 at Rice Stadium. Chief of Police Johnny Whitehead welcomed law enforcement officers from the Houston and Gulf Coast area who ran across the Rice campus before trekking from Houston to Arlington for the Special Olympics Texas Summer Games. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness event for Special Olympics Texas, a nonprofit organization that encourages and empowers people with intellectual disabilities, promotes acceptance for all and fosters communities of understanding and respect. RUPD Sgt. Alejandra Adames and Officers Juan Alejandro, Christopher Bick (pictured above carrying the torch) and Maritza Lopez participated in the two-day relay, during which the torch was passed to law enforcement and public safety agencies in the Texas cities of Tomball, Navasota, Bryan/College Station, Brenham, Conroe and Huntsville before arriving in Arlington. (Photos by Tommy LaVergne)