Howell Police Department Helps Carry the Torch for Special Olympics

Early Friday morning more than a dozen officers from the Howell Township Police Department joined some of their brothers and sisters from departments in Jackson and Lakewood in the Shop Rite parking lot for something that has become a tradition for the members of the squad.

The men and women were there to carry the torch for the Special Olympics through parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties to support the athletes before they head off to The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township, Mercer County, for the annual competition.

With Chief Ronald T. Carter looking on, some of Howell's finest took the torch from the officers from Lakewood and Jackson and ran the length of Route 9 to the Acme in Freehold.

Two key people responsible for putting the event together for the department were Captain Robert Scott and recently retired Corporal Harvey Cohen. For Scott, being involved in the run is a personal thing. Having a niece who has Down's Syndrome, Scott said that was what first got him running back in 1991. 

It may have been a hot day in Howell on Friday, but Scott said the biggest challenge on a yearly basis is getting the money raised annually. Once all that work is done, Scott said seeing the end result makes it all worth it.

"They're just giving you big hugs for what you've done," he said of the athletes he meets at the opening ceremonies. "You see big smiles on their faces. They don't have a whole lot going for them in their life, but this is a little bit more about them."

Not only do the Howell officers succeed in raising money for the cause, but Cohen said they are among the best in the state at helping the Special Olympics. Last year alone they raised more than $52,000 which was the second most raised behind only the department from Jersey City.

"Howell Township has been incredible supporting the Special Olympics," Cohen said. 

Having served as a school resource officer and working with many of the special needs students in the district in the past, Cohen said it was important for him to be involved in these efforts.

"I just knew it was a good cause and I wanted to do something to help the special needs program," he said. 

From the Acme in Freehold Township, the officers in that town were set to hand off to their colleagues in Freehold Borough before officers and athletes from Manalapan and Marlboro took over. Representatives from the Monmouth County Sheriff's department also took part in the day.