Shelter Island, Southold Police Run For Special Olympics

The Shelter Island and Southold police departments had a special member running with their team in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics in East Hampton on Thursday.

Western Bascome III, a Special Olympics athlete, who lives in a group home in Southold and spends weekends with his mother on Shelter Island, said he was delighted when he was asked to run.

Shelter Island Police Chief James J. Read said the Shelter Island community has adopted Bascome, who frequently can be seen sprinting around the island as he trains for relay races for competitions. Read, who has been participating in the eastern Long Island route of the Torch Run since it returned to the area three years ago, has become close to him over the years, often spending Sundays together.

"I kind of did it for Western," Read said. "I thought it would be a great idea for him to come over and run with us and raise money for the overall Special Olympics."

In fact, the Shelter Island Police Department, one of the smallest police departments, raised the most amount of money, $3,000, than any of the participating departments in Nassau or Suffolk counties.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is a worldwide fundraising and awareness effort, the largest grassroots fundraising program benefiting Special Olympics.

Each year, more than 3,000 officers from Buffalo to Long Island carry the "Flame of Hope" in 13 races. The Suffolk and Nassau county legs were held on Tuesday. All of the runs lead into the State Summer Games held on June 14 in Buffalo.

Kristina Aquilone, the director of development, said the defunct South Fork run was brought back to life three years ago. Officers from almost every agency participated, and the various Police Benevolence Associations donated money, though some agencies, like Shelter Island, also privately fundraise.

This year, it was a 14-mile run from the Montauk IGA to the East Hampton Village Emergency Services Building, and included a motorcade for the first time.

While Read runs in honor of Bascome, Shelter Island Police Officer Terry Legrady runs in honor of his 6-year-old son, who has special needs. A Baiting Hollow resident, Legrady said he appreciates the officers coming out, and hopes the fundraiser will gain in numbers. "It's nice to see the unity. It's nice to see faces you don't see every day," he said.

"It's real camaraderie between the agencies," Read said. "It's nice the police end departments stay together and compete together for a special cause."

Also participating were Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley and Riverhead Police Chief David J. Hegermiller.

Read and Bascome picked up the run about 4 miles in, running 11 miles in total.

"I run all the time on Shelter Island. Every time I go home on the weekends, I run every weekend," Bascome said, adding that he doesn't usually run this far. Asked how it was running with the officers, he said, "I felt very happy."

He said he definitely wants to participate in the run, again, next year.