A local police chief will be part of a team that will carry the Flame of Hope across Washington to the sports arena at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, officials said.
Indian River Shores Public Safety police chief Rich Rosell will be representing Florida as part of the “Guardians of the Flame,” which is made up of about five teams of law enforcement officials who will participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR).
“It is the moral obligation of every law enforcement officer in the country to interact positively with the community we serve,” Rosell said. “Choosing to serve the athletes of Special Olympics Florida builds on the legacy started by Chief Lamunyon in 1984.”
Since the first Special Olympics Games in 2006, members of law enforcement and Special Olympics athletes from across the nation have carried the Flame of Hope in the final leg to bring in the start of the national competition.
From June 27 through July 1, the LETR Final Leg team will conduct multiple relay-style runs and ceremonies in cities, towns and communities across Washington to raise awareness for Special Olympics and build up excitement for the 2018 USA Games, officials said.
“The route is hundreds of miles long,” Rosell said. “It will take a collaborative number of people to get the torch to the stadium.”
The leg team will escort the Flame of Hope into the opening ceremony July 1 at Husky Stadium at the University of Washington in Seattle. Once inside, the torch will be passed to a special Olympics athlete, Rosell said.
That athlete will then light a larger torch, and the games will begin.
The LETR is the Special Olympics’ largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness tool. In 2016, law enforcement volunteers raised about $56 million for Special Olympics programs around the world and surpassed $675 million since LETR began in 1981.
Rosell was excited for this once-in-a-lifetime honor and has supported Special Olympics athletes through his leadership of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in Florida, officials said.
Rosell is a 27-year-veteran of the New Jersey State Police, a former U.S. Marine, former N.J. Army National Guardsman and is a current member of the U.S. Army Reserve as a Master Sgt.
Special Olympics Florida will be sending a group of 224 athletes, coaches and support staff to Seattle, officials said. The athletes will come from 24 counties across the state and will compete in 14 Olympic-type team and individual sports.
For more information on the Law Enforcement Torch Run, visit its website.