Chief James T. Butts, Jr. announced that the Santa Monica Police Department’s 2006 Baker to Vegas Team finished in 3rd place out of 24 teams entered in its division of the relay footrace.
On April 1, 2006, the SMPD participated in the 22nd Annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Relay Race, the largest and most unique law enforcement race in the world. It is a 120-mile, 20-stage foot relay race, which starts in Baker, California and runs through the California desert and over the mountains to Las Vegas, Nevada. The team’s overall time was a team best 15 hours, 40 minutes, 59 seconds.
This year, officers ran the race in memory of Officer Rick Crocker, who was a Major in the United States Marine Corps. Officer Crocker was killed in a 2005 rocket-propelled grenade attack during his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Chief Butts gave special thanks to team captains Detective HeeSeok Ahn, Motor Officer Shaun Nichols, K-9 Officer Roberto Villegas and to all the support volunteers.