Lawrence, Douglas County officers deliver torch for Special Olympics relay

Lawrence and Douglas County officers handed the Special Olympics torch to Ottawa police on Tuesday, closing a local leg of the Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run that put county athletes and law enforcement side by side before the state Summer Games.

The relay started in Wichita in 1981, conceived by Wichita police Chief Richard LaMunyon, and Special Olympics Kansas now describes it as a fundraising and awareness effort that has generated more than $1 billion for Special Olympics programs worldwide. In Kansas, the run is tied directly to the games, with officers helping carry the Flame of Hope into the Summer Games opening ceremonies and presenting medals during competition.

Lawrence police and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office runners moved through town on Monday, June 2, beginning at The Oread Hotel and drawing in representatives from the Lawrence Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the University of Kansas, Eudora Police Department, Baldwin City Police Department and Douglas County Special Olympics athletes. The torch was then delivered to Ottawa police the next day.

The timing mattered for athletes in Douglas County and across the state. The Special Olympics Kansas Summer Games were scheduled for June 5-7 at Maize High School in Wichita, meaning the Lawrence run served as a visible sendoff into the year’s biggest competition weekend. For county athletes, the event gave them a place at the center of the relay rather than on the sidelines, with local officers using their time and visibility to amplify the programs those athletes compete in.

The Lawrence and Douglas County route also reflected a steady local tradition. Officers from the area have taken part in the torch run in previous years, including a 2023 delivery to Ottawa and a 2024 county run involving Lawrence and Douglas County officers. This year’s relay kept that pattern alive, reinforcing a long-running partnership between public safety agencies and Special Olympics athletes that reaches beyond ceremony and into direct support for Kansas competitors.