Hermosa Police Carry "Flame of Hope" for Special Olympics

The Special Olympics Flame of Hope was carried through Hermosa Beach on Monday as the Hermosa Beach Police Department participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run ahead of this summer's Special Olympic Games in Long Beach.

HBPD's Chief Steve Johnson, Lieutenant Tom Thompson, and Sergeant Steve Saylor all ran the two-mile section of the relay after the torch was handed off to them by the Redondo Beach Police Department. 

The flame was carried down Hermosa Avenue and Manhattan Avenue before it was handed off to the Manhattan Beach Police Department at the intersection of Manhattan Avenue and 1st Street in Manhattan Beach. 

During the relay, Sergeant Saylor also wore a memorial t-shirt honoring Hawthorne police Officer Andrew Garton, who was killed in the line of duty in May 2011, according to Hermosa Beach police PSO Elayne Aoki. 

The relay was part of the central leg of the torch run which started in Wilmington on Monday and will travel throughout Los Angeles before returning to Long Beach on Friday, according to the Special Olympics of Southern California's website. 

According to the site, when the torch arrives in Long Beach, its flame will be combined with two other torches that have traveled through California to light the cauldron for the 2012 Summer Games.