Pasadena Officers and Mounted Unit Carry Special Olympics Torch Through City Streets

Pasadena police officers ran alongside horses through city streets on June 3, carrying a torch that had already traveled hundreds of miles — and still had hundreds more to go.

The department’s leg — more than four miles — was part of the 40th annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Southern California, a two-week relay that began May 26 in Chula Vista and stretched more than 1,100 miles before reaching the Summer Games opening ceremony at Cal State Long Beach on June 5. More than 3,000 law enforcement officers across the region participated, and the Southern California program raised more than $1.26 million in 2025, according to program organizers. The organization serves nearly 25,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities across 11 counties.

Officers, professional staff, and members of the Pasadena Police Department’s Mounted Enforcement Unit carried the Flame of Hope through the city, according to a department press release published in the City Manager’s Weekly Newsletter. The mounted unit, restored in late 2024 after a nearly 19-year absence, made one of its early community engagement appearances during the run.

Chief of Police Gene Harris said the torch run serves as the largest public awareness and fundraising movement benefiting Special Olympics, bringing together officers and community members committed to inclusion, acceptance, and opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities, according to the press release.

The torch run was created in 1981 by Wichita, Kansas, Police Chief Richard LaMunyon. Since then, the effort has grown into a global movement that has raised more than $1 billion. In Southern California, the torch run engages officers from agencies spanning San Luis Obispo to San Diego, reaching more than 200 communities.

“We could not do this without partnership,” Kelly Pond, president and CEO of Special Olympics Southern California, said at a ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on June 1, as the torch arrived for the start of the Los Angeles County relay leg. “And today is a special moment to celebrate the partnership of our law enforcement Torch Run partners.”

The Pasadena relay was one link in a chain that included the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and dozens of other agencies. On June 4, more than 300 sheriff’s deputies carried the flame from the Hall of Justice as part of a countywide relay that culminated at the Summer Games, where the torch lit the cauldron during the June 5 opening ceremony.

Funds raised through the torch run support year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The programs are free to athletes and their families.

The Summer Games, held June 5–7 at Cal State Long Beach, featured competition in athletics, basketball, bocce, flag football, and swimming. The Flame of Hope will continue its journey to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, scheduled for June 20–26 in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where nearly 3,000 athletes from all 50 states will compete.

For information about Special Olympics Southern California, visit sosc.org. For more from the Pasadena Police Department, visit cityofpasadena.net/police ,  Follow the department on Instagram at @pasadenapd.