Police participate in Special Olympics Torch Run

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa police carried a torch through their cities Thursday to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics.

Each year, the two departments participate in the Special Olympics Torch Run that leads up to the two-day Summer Games Championship.

Volunteers from the Laguna Beach Police Department carried the torch lit with the Flame of Hope into Newport Beach along Coast Highway where they passed it to Newport officers at Newport Coast Drive.

Newport police volunteers carried the flame up Dover Drive to Irvine Avenue, where Costa Mesa police took over.

This year, more than 4,000 police officers throughout California will travel at least 1,500 miles with the flame before the games where 1,200 Special Olympic athletes will compete, according to a news release from the Newport Beach Police Department.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck