Law enforcement officers run the Flame of Hope across the state in the annual Torch Relay in May. Officers carry the Flame of Hope into the Opening Ceremony of State Winter, Summer, and Fall Games each year. The top five fundraising departments have the honor of carrying in the Flame of Hope during these games and lighting the cauldron.
2013 Torch Relay Routes as of
Law Enforcement Torch Run
2013 Torch Relay Routes
Schedule as of 4.23.13
Monday, May 6th
Columbia County (Augusta)
Contact: Sgt. Daniel Massey, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, 706-541-3905
Run begins at 9:00am and is a total of 3 miles long. Begins at Columbia Square at Flowing Wells and Washington Road. Route ends at The Justice Center at 640 Ronald Reagan Drive. (Fort Gordon to join Columbia County on their run.)
Tuesday, May 7h
Macon
Contact: Jami Gaudet, Macon Police Department
Macon SWAT will begin at 8:00 a.m. running from the Bibb County line to Macon City Hall, as they customarily do. The remaining MPD runners will begin at 9:00 a.m. and run the 5 miles to Wesleyan College
Soperton
Contact: Chief Luke Kicklighter, Soperton Police Department, 912-529-4221
Beginning at 10:00am at the Iva Park on Second Street and ending at NAPA Auto Parts on Metter Road. Total distance is approximately 1 mile through the heart of town.
Wednesday, May 8th
Middle GA (Perry, Houston County, Warner Robins)
Contact: Capt. John Clay, Warner Robins Police Department, 478-808-2117
Starting at 9 a.m sharp at Warner Robins Police Department and will be heading towards Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. They will turn it over to Macon Police Department around noon.
Friday, May 10th
Dougherty County
Contact: Marie Ostrander, Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, 229-430-6508
Meet at 8:00am at the Dougherty County Courthouse to sign in. There will be a kickoff ceremony at 8:30am and the run will begin at 9:00am and will run from the Courthouse down Pine Avenue to the Publix Super Market on Dawson Road (approximately 5 miles).
Jackson County
Contact: Chief Randy Williams, Arcade Police Department, 706-367-1821
Start at Arcade Police Department at 8:15AM. Run is 3.5 miles to end at Jefferson Police Department.
Monday, May 13th
Muscogee County
Contact: Sgt. Donald Bush, Columbus Police Department, 706-225-4103
Start at Fort Benning in the morning. At 8:45am there will be a brief ceremony at Columbus Police Department in the parking lot. Following the ceremony, the run will begin. The torch will stop at River Road and Bradley Park Drive. (13 miles total) Muscogee County Prison will be running as well.
Clayton County
Contact: Danielle Rosa, Clayton County Police Department, 770-472-8024
Meet at 9:40am at Clayton County Police Department Headquarters. Will run to N. McDonough Street, left onto GA 138, right to Jonesboro Road, right to Morrow City limits, to Harper Drive, to Forest Parkway, to Ruskin Drive, Left onto Ruskin Drive, Right into the Home Depot parking lot. Run will end at 11:30am.
Tuesday, May 14th
Cherokee County to Cobb County
Contact: Lt. Ken Locke, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, 679-493-6180
Start at 8:00 A.M. at the Oak Grove precinct located off S.R.92 and will travel down S.R. 92 coming to I-75 we will meet the City of Acworth at or around 8:30. The run in Cherokee County will be about 3 miles. The Cherokee County SWAT team will be running.
Contact: Officer Gretchen Ingram, Marietta Police Department
The Cherokee run will meet up with the Cobb agencies at the motel (Best Western) on the northwest side of 92 @ I-75 around 0830hrs. We run from 92 to Main Street in Acworth and from there all the way to Marietta to Church Street Extension to Church Street to the Square and end at the Marietta Police Department. We can also take a detour in each City for a photo opportunity in front of your agency or building if you would like to. We will leave Marietta PD at 0745hrs and travel to 92 @ I-75 to wait for Cherokee SO. We will travel in a couple of vehicles and a passenger van. Any agency that wishes to can meet us here or we can all meet at the scene. From Marietta the route will go down Lemon Street to Atlanta Street to Smyrna PD.
Carroll County
Contact: Chief Michael Mansour, Villa Rica Police Department
Route begins at 9:00am starting at the GSP Barracks to the Villa Rica PD. (1 mile total)
Officer Jeff Vaughn, Carrollton Police Department
Torch relay will begin close to 10am and end in the city square.
Wednesday, May 15th
Douglasville
Contact: Officer Matt Underwood, Douglasville Police Department, 678-409-1602
Start at 10:00am at the Olive Garden on Douglas Blvd. The route will run to the courthouse and then end at the new Police Department. Total distance is 4.5 miles.
Thursday, May 16th
Sandy Springs to Dunwoody
Contact: Officer Tim Burell, Sandy Springs Police Department
Run will begin at 10:00am; Starting point will be Johnson Ferry Rd and Sandy Springs Circle (fire station 2), we will continue on Johnson Ferry, cross Roswell Rd and turn onto Mt Vernon Hwy. We will travel on Mt Vernon past Abernathy Rd into Dunwoody continuing on Mt Vernon. We will stay on Mt Vernon until we reach Chamblee Dunwoody Rd where we will turn left onto Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. We will travel to the first traffic light and turn left into the Publix parking lot. The route is approximately 3.7 miles
Gwinnett County to Dekalb County
Contact: Batinna Thornhill Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office
Registration is at 8:00am and run is to begin at 8:30am sharp. The run will begin at Lilburn Police Department (76 Main St. NW, Lilburn, 30047). Total run is approximately 5 miles to the Gwinnett County line at the intersection of Hwy 29 and Jimmy Carter Blvd.
Contact: Officer G.K. Jefferson, Dekalb County Police Department
Torch is passed from Gwinnett to Dekalb between 9:30AM & 10:00AM. Ending location is the Maloof Building in downtown Decatur.
Friday, May 17th
GA State Capitol to EmoryUniversity
*Everyone is invited and highly encouraged to participate in this run! This is a 6.2 mile run and is the final leg of the torch relay.
Please arrive by 8:30am – Press conference to begin at 9:00am and the lighting of the torch and passing off for the Final Leg will occur at approximately 9:20am. The run will end of the campus of Emory University. We are looking for runners and escort vehicles with motor units.