BRUNSWICK

People may have seen a group of nine torch-toting police officers jogging behind a cruiser down Pleasant Street on Wednesday afternoon.

The officers belong to Brunswick Police Department and were finishing the second leg of the Maine Law Enforcement Torch Run, which started

Wednesday in Kittery. Four of the runners arrived from West Bath and the other five were running from Freeport, all bound for the Brunswick police station.

There, Special Olympics athletes, friends and family were waiting to cheer them on.

Among the runners was School Resource Officer Tom Stanton, who has been involved with Maine’s Special Olympics since he was 16.

Brunswick Police Department has raised nearly $2,400 for the organization and still had a couple fundraisers left, such as the Tip A Cop event at Applebee’s and pumping gas at Circle K, Stanton said. The times and dates will be on the police department’s Facebook page.

Last year, Maine law enforcement raised more than $400,000 for Special Olympics, said Brunswick communications officer Mari Smith, who is an integral part of the fundraising effort. All proceeds raised from the torch run go to Special Olympics Law Enforcement and most of it supports the winter and summer games.

Stanton stressed the money raised in Maine stays in Maine.

He will be at the summer games this weekend, helping athletes and handing out medals.

“It’s really a time for them to develop a relationship with law enforcement. They can see us and we can support them,” Stanton said. “They’re amazing athletes. I tell people you should go once and you’ll want to keep going because it’s an amazing event.”

Stanton grew up watching his father, who was also in law enforcement, participate in the torch run. He started running at 16 as an Explorer Scout in Lisbon. A detective there took him up to the summer games, “and it was pretty much from then on.”

Among those cheering on officers Wednesday were members of Independence Association, which Brunswick police supported recently by participating in the organization’s Run for Independence 5K celebrating its 50th anniversary.

“It brings us together too as a law enforcement team with our family as well,” Smith said.

Stanton said Brunswick police used to just run. About five years ago he started setting up a barbecue. This year, Brackett’s Market in Bath, which is an IGA, donated all the food. IGA supports Special Olympics in each community they’re in. Hancock Lumber donated the propane for the grill.

Brunswick Police Chief Richard Rizzo grilled up burgers and hot dogs for the event, which fed more than 70 people on the front lawn of the police station.

“It makes people realize that law enforcement are human too; that we’re here in the community and we’re invested in the community,” Stanton said.

The torch run is going on all week and involves more than 800 officers. A third leg went from Brunswick Police Department to Topsham Police Department this morning and from there, to Richmond. Friday during the final leg, law enforcement will run the torch into the stadium at the University of Orono and light the torch with a Special Olympics athlete.

Stanton is headed to the International Law Enforcement Torch Run Conference in Arizona in September where he hopes to hear some new ideas.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

$2,400 and counting

• BRUNSWICK POLICE Department has raised nearly $2,400 for Special Olympics and still has a couple fundraisers left, such as the Tip A Cop event at Applebee’s and pumping gas at Circle K.