Thirty Baltimore City police officers and personnel will be participating in the Baltimore 10 Miler on Saturday.
They’re not doing it as a training run, they're on a mission to earn money for a foundation that specifically supports the men and women who share their uniform.
“It's a unique sound that comes out over a police radio it goes citywide and that's when an officer's in distress,” said Baltimore City Police Chief Melissa Hyatt, who oversees the special operations and development division.
That sound is known as a Signal 13.
“So, if they need back-up or they need some kind of help quickly, when that tune goes out over the radio everyone pays attention to it and we get resources to them as quickly as we can,” said Chief Hyatt.
The same goes for the Signal 13 Foundation. It’s there to help officers when they’re in a different kind of distress and may need some financial assistance.
“It was started in 1983 by Frank Battaglia. He looked to citizens to form a commission that would support police officers in hardship,” said Signal 13 Foundation board member Barb Clapp.
The Foundation started by the late commissioner has helped numerous officers and their families when they experienced personal emergencies.
“We've had various examples where an officer's lost their home in a fire, or in a flood, or when one of our police officers has either been severely injured in the line of duty or else killed and we needed to be able to get family members in to be by their side,” Chief Hyatt said.
The police are your first call when you're in distress, so Clapp feels it's only right they have that same safety net.
“Baltimore City police officers are up against a lot these days,” said Clapp. “But they're the ones that come first in an emergency and they need all the support they deserve and should have.”
“We're all people, we're all vulnerable. We all have personal lives outside of our jobs and when our officers are healthy and successful in their personal lives, they do a better job at work and they can serve the City better,” said Chief Hyatt.
And the Foundation is getting some extra support thanks to Corrigan Sports Enterprises and events like the Baltimore 10 Miler.
Of the 30 officers competing in the race, CSE will donate $3 for every person the top officer passes.
“Our fastest runner is carbo-loading as we speak,” said Chief Hyatt.
Last year, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis earned the Foundation nearly $13,000 with his finishing time.
Signal 13 Foundation also provides scholarships to children of police officers.
You can watch the entire race on ABC2 News on Saturday morning, June 3. The broadcast starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 10 a.m.
The race kicks off at 7:30 a.m. You have until Friday, June 2 to register for the race.
Click here for more information.
