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Passing The Torch At Rainbow Bridge

Release Date
Wed, 06/17/2015

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - For the 29th year in the state of New York, law enforcement officers from the Buffalo-Niagara region have carried the Special Olympics Flame of Hope through communities, raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics. With the 2015 New York Special Olympics State Summer Games coming to an end, the Law Enforcement Torch Run recently passed the Flame of Hope to Canadian law enforcement officers to take the torch to their summer games.  

On June 10, the passing of the Special Olympics torch on Rainbow Bridge ended the 2015 Torch Run Season with the Badges on the Border Torch Run. The run ended on the middle of Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

“The Torch Run underscores the spirit of cooperation that characterizes relations between U.S. and Canadian police agencies,” said Border Patrol Agent Dean Mandel.  “This event brings us all together in a positive way for a worthy cause,” Mandel explained.  

The torch traveled with a group of approximately 100 U.S. law enforcement officers onto Rainbow Bridge where they met their Canadian counterparts. A cauldron was lit signifying solidarity between the U.S. and Canada for the run.  

A total of 20 agents from the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Stations, and Sector Headquarters joined officers from dozens of agencies in the U.S. and Canada to help support the international event. Border Patrol agents from the Niagara Falls Station played a primary role in organizing the run.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021