Running the long blue line
LAPD officers run to aid families of fallen comrades
Thornton Road was cleared by California Highway Patrol cars on Monday morning to make way for Los Angeles Police officers Joe Cirrito and Kristina Tudor, who were running north on a mission to reach Sacramento.
The two officers have dedicated this run and have been raising money for Project Endure, which supports the families of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Money raised will be donated to C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) and the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation.
Cirrito and Tudor arrived Monday morning in the Lodi countryside after having run from Arch Road in Stockton through the city up to West Lane and Eight Mile Road. Following behind was a caravan of vehicles, some volunteers providing supplies to the officers along the journey and some other law enforcement and first responders protecting them and showing their support. During one stretch of the run, Lodi Police Capt. Chris Jacobson joined the two officers in their run along Thornton Road near Kingdon Road.
The LAPD officers’ route has been kept a secret, but the total run from Los Angeles to Sacramento is expected to take them a total of 12 days. They began the run on Sunday, Nov. 27 and have been running on their off-duty days.
Lodi Police Department released a statement about the run on Facebook that read: “We were proud to be a small part of Officer Cirrito and Tudor’s amazing journey.”
Donations can be sent through the nonprofit Bluecoat Music Inc., an organization sponsoring the run at bluecoatmusic.org, Facebook.com/bluecoatmusic or gofundme. com/endure.