Law Enforcement Memorial Run to Offer Host of Activities Saturday

Running shoes, walking shoes, canes and strollers will hit the track of the San Angelo Stadium Saturday morning, when local law enforcement hosts the 3rd annual Law Enforcement Memorial Run.

The run—which includes both competitive one-mile, 5K and 10K routes broken down by age group, and non-competitive walk/run/meander opportunities for those interested—is the official kick off to seven days of activities planned for Police Memorial Week.

SAPD Sergeant Matt Baldwin, Blanca De La Rosa, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Securities Investigations pulled together this year offer a variety of entertainment at Saturday’s run. The morning is scheduled to feature a jet fly-over from Customs and Border Protection, a fly-over from the DPS helicopter, including a static display for kids in the parking lot, music from a live DJ, free hotdogs, hamburgers and drinks, and the opportunity to socialize with community members and law enforcement officers.

Police Memorial Week runs from May 10-16, and is meant to recognize officers that have been killed in the line of duty, Sgt. Baldwin said. Many of the activities scheduled throughout the week are private, but Sgt. Baldwin emphasized that it is also important to connect with the community and express gratitude for their outstanding support for fallen officers, hence the memorial run.

Sgt. Baldwin cited the death of long-time SAPD officer Jaime Padron as example. “The reason why we’re doing this is…the community came out, supported us when one of us died and it’s a way of saying thank you, we recognize that and come out, hang with us while we have this week where we remember these officers that die every year,” he said.

This year, Sgt. Baldwin selected five officers that have fallen in the line of duty and offered to pay the entry fees for the first to claim to run in their honor. The response, he said, was great, and he received the first requests within minutes of sending out the email.

“These five officers slash deputies have either some connection to this department or to this area, this community,” he said. “Every one of them holds a special place in my heart, but these guys here, that’s kind of my incentive to get people to get involved.”

One of the five officers was Jaime Padron, who was a close friend of Baldwin’s and who was killed in Austin in April 2012, roughly a month before the run. “Running is something that Jaime enjoyed,” Sgt. Baldwin said. “It was one of his hobbies, something that he competed in. I wanted to do something during Police Memorial Week being the next month in memory of or in honor of him.”

The activities of the Law Enforcement Memorial Run begin at 9:30 a.m. with the honor guard, and are anticipated to last for two to three hours. The run will begin at 10:00 a.m. with registration between 7:15 and 9:15 that morning.

Registration costs are $$15 for the one-mile course and $20 for the 5k and 10K courses. All proceeds go to Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), an organization that offers numerous services, including those for survivors of fallen officers.[[{"fid":"5030","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","attributes":{}}]]