Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nevada officers begin 450-mile memorial run to Carson City

Event honors those who ‘made the ultimate sacrifice,’ sheriff says

Law Enforcement Run

Christopher DeVargas

The Color Guard stands by during the start of the annual Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Run, a statewide relay from Las Vegas to Carson City in memory of officers killed in the line of duty, April 28, 2011.

Law Enforcement Run

Police officers and their families gather at Police Memorial Park for the start of the annual Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Run, a statewide relay from Las Vegas to Carson City in memory of officers killed in the line of duty, April 28, 2011. Launch slideshow »

Metro Police Sheriff Douglas Gillespie spent a portion of Wednesday writing condolence letters to four law enforcement agencies across the country that recently had an officer killed in the line of duty.

The process, he said, underscores the importance of events like the 12th annual Nevada Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Run, a statewide relay that kicked off Thursday morning at Police Memorial Park in Las Vegas.

“It’s a reminder to the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice that we have not forgotten them,” said Gillespie, who traded his beige uniform for running shoes and shorts.

About 400 officers from across the state will participate in the 450-mile run from Las Vegas to Carson City in honor of fallen officers, said Richard Clark, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training.

The runners will carry American flag-emblazoned batons with the names of 117 fallen Nevada officers inscribed inside. Officers’ family members will receive the batons at the end of the relay next Thursday in Carson City.

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in Nevada comes at a very high price,” Clark said, later adding: “These officers gave their lives to preserve our freedom.”

Twenty runners — including many law enforcement department heads from Southern Nevada — began the first leg of the race at the sound of a firing pistol.

Runners from every criminal justice agency in Nevada will split the distance in 117 portions to represent each fallen officer, following a route along U.S. 95 to Yerington and then U.S. 395 north to Carson City.

Click to enlarge photo

Police officers and their families gather at Police Memorial Park for the start of the annual Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Run, a statewide relay from Las Vegas to Carson City in memory of officers killed in the line of duty, April 28, 2011.

Nye County Sheriff Anthony De Meo ran the first leg of the race in honor of former Deputy Ian Deutch, who was shot and killed April 26, 2010, at Terrible’s Lakeside Casino and RV in Pahrump.

The exchange of gunfire between Deutch and the gunman lasted 1.6 seconds.

“That’s how quickly these things occur,” De Meo said.

Nationwide, 25 percent more officers have been killed in the line of duty so far this year, with gunfire to blame for more than 70 percent of those deaths, Gillespie said.

During a ceremony in Carson City, Deutch’s name will be added to a memorial wall along with three others: Officer Harry Brown of the Reno Police Department, killed Sept. 26, 1905; Officer Wilson Fugate of the Reno Police Department, killed July 2, 1939; and Deputy Harry Swaney of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, killed Aug. 12, 1935.

Officers said the memorial run also gives them the opportunity to rededicate their commitment to serving the public.

Officers killed in the previous year are added to the memorial wall, along with the names of officers killed previously whose names have surfaced from historical accounts or families that have come forward.

“It’s a reminder of the debt we owe to each of them,” FBI Special Agent Kevin Favreau said.

Runner Roberto Angulo, an officer in Metro’s downtown area command, said he considers the opportunity an honor.

“It’s something I think every officer in their career should do,” he said.

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