STATE POLICE MAJOR REPRESENTS MARYLAND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN NATIONAL TORCH RUN FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS

(Pikesville, MD) – When asked what he did on his summer vacation, a Maryland State Police major has plenty of stories to tell about running past miles of mid-western cornfields with dozens of other police officers as they raised awareness for Special Olympics as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Major Pete Landon, 48, a 25-year veteran of the Maryland State Police, who lives on the Upper Eastern Shore, was the state’s representative in the Law Enforcement Torch Run through Nebraska that led up to the national Special Olympics Summer Games in Lincoln. He was chosen earlier this year to represent the Maryland Law Enforcement Torch Run, which is comprised of thousands of police officers, correctional officers, parole and probation agents, and other criminal justice professionals who work each year to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics Maryland.

Major Landon left Maryland July 9th and landed in Des Moines, Iowa for the start of the run. After joining up with fellow police officers from 47 states, as well as Special Olympics athletes from across the country, teams were assigned and the runners headed into Nebraska. During the next nine days, Major Landon personally ran more than 100 miles and was part of dozens of Torch Run ceremonies held in about 70 Nebraska cities and towns. He returned to Maryland earlier this week tired, but excited.

“I’ve been involved with the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics since its inception, but I never truly realized the impact police officers have nationally and internationally on Special Olympics athletes until this experience,” Major Landon said. “We have a job where we usually see people at their worst. This was a unique opportunity to see some incredible people at their best. It was wonderful for me to realize that I had just a small part in the overall amazing miracle of Special Olympics.”

Major Landon said one of the most meaningful elements of his experience was getting to know Special Olympics athletes who were part of the run, or who were from the towns they ran through. “The neatest thing was meeting the Nebraska Special Olympics athletes in their home towns and then seeing them at the opening ceremonies,” Major Landon said. “As a police officer, we rarely get to see genuine excitement on someone’s face. In every town we ran into and especially at the opening ceremonies, I saw real excitement over and over again on the faces of the children and adults who were a part of the Special Olympics National Summer Games.”

“I formed many friendships during this trip, but the most memorable was the friendship I formed with the 37-year-old Special Olympics athlete from Amityville, New York, who was assigned to our running team,” Major Landon said. “At first, he was very shy and would talk to none of the police officers on the team. By the end of our time running together, he was very talkative and a real inspiration to all of us on the team. I had the privilege of giving him my Maryland State Police Stetson hat and making him an honorary state trooper, of which he was very proud.”

When he is not running or volunteering for Special Olympics Maryland, Major Landon is an assistant bureau chief in the Field Operations Bureau of the Maryland State Police. He oversees the Special Operations Division, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, and the Automotive Safety Enforcement Division.

Major Landon lives on the Upper Shore with his wife and two sons. Both his sons also volunteer for Special Olympics and have joined their dad as Super Plungers, during the grueling event in which participants jump into the Chesapeake Bay once an hour for 24 hours in January, the day before the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge. Last year, the Super Plunge alone raised about $500,000 for Special Olympics.

Major Landon is also personally involved in logistics planning for the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge each year. He directs law enforcement involvement with traffic control and security for the event. Last year, more than 25,000 people attended the Polar Bear Plunge and Plungapalooza Festival at Sandy Point State Park, which helped raise about $3 million for Special Olympics Maryland.

Special Olympics Maryland is a non-profit organization that provides year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those programs are provided free-of-charge, thanks to the dedicated volunteers like Major Landon and the generous people of Maryland who donate money to support Special Olympics.