Over the weekend, personnel from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station participated in the 47th annual Memorial Torch Run. The run honors those who were killed in the line of duty.

According to the website sheriffsrelief.org, the run dates back to 1975 when Sergeant Lee Stahl, assigned to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Training Bureau, wanted the public to be aware of the brave deputies who sacrificed their lives protecting the public. Borrowing an idea from the Olympic Torch Run, his idea was to conduct a relay torch run from one sheriff’s station to another. This would be the perfect way to make the public aware of the heroic deputies who died in the line of duty for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. The plan was for runners to travel between each sheriff’s station to the other until all 16 stations were visited. This involved all stations except for Avalon on Catalina Island.

The torch was carried on Sunday by personnel at CV Sheriff’s Station beginning at Angeles Forest Highway at Monte Cristo and carried to the CV Sheriff’s Station on Briggs Avenue. Taking part from the CV Sheriff’s Station, among others, were John Hong, retired Captain Mark Flores, his wife Tania, and retired deputy Alan Bennett; the group ran the entire 21-plus miles over the San Gabriel Mountains. Retired lieutenant Diva Burns rode her bicycle the entire way as well. The remaining runners ran five-plus mile legs.

Once at the CV station, the torch was passed to runners from the Altadena station.

The Star & Shield Foundation, a support group for peace officers, provided lunch for the runners at the CV Sheriff’s Station.