2012 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Louisiana

The torch Run for Special Olympics Louisiana will be on Friday, May 11, 2012 with a ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. on the Milam Street side of the Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas Street in downtown Shreveport.

The annual run raises money for Special Olympics Louisiana and helps promotes the annual Special Olympics Louisiana Summer Games that will take place at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana on May 18-20, 2012.  The law enforcement runners will carry the State Special Olympics torch from Northwest Louisiana and will pass it off to runners from other law enforcement agencies all along the route until it reaches its final destination in Hammond in time for the start of the state games.

Before Friday morning’s ceremony begins two groups of law enforcement runners will arrive at the Caddo Parish Courthouse in downtown Shreveport from separate locations. Caddo runners will begin their run from the Caddo Correctional Center, 1104 Forum Drive in Shreveport, at approximately 8 a.m. They’ll travel east on Hearne Avenue, then south on Market Street into downtown Shreveport to Texas Street.  Bossier runners will begin their run at approximately 8 a.m. from the Bossier Civic Center, 620 Benton Road in Bossier City. Their route will take them west on POW-MIA Boulevard, north on Benton Road and west on East Texas Street across the Texas Street Bridge into downtown Shreveport to Market Street. 

Both groups will meet up in downtown Shreveport on Texas Street at Market Street before they proceed together to the Caddo parish Courthouse for the 9 a.m. ceremony.

 The ceremony will feature the reading of a joint proclamation from Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker and Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover. Following the ceremony the runners will continue the run from the courthouse east on Texas Street, south on Market Street and down Youree Drive (Highway 1) to the Relay Station, 10281 Highway 1 South, a distance of approximately 12 miles.

 The torch run will resume from the Relay Station on Tuesday, May 15 at approximately 7 a.m. as the torch for the Northwest Louisiana leg of the run makes its way south to the Special Olympics Louisiana Summer Games in Hammond.