By Bee Staff
More than 70 cadets from the Highway Patrol Academy will run to honor the man who was a driving force behind the California Peace Officers' Memorial.
The 70 cadets, preparing to graduate, on Wednesday will run nearly five miles from the academy in West Sacramento to the memorial across from the State Capitol, according to a CHP news release.
The run is a tradition on the Wednesday before each graduation, but this week the run will honor Albert E. LeBas, who died on Nov. 27, the release states.
Le Bas, 88, was a 30-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and served as law enforcement liaison for Gov. George Deukmejian starting in 1983.
During his service in the Deukmejian administration, Le Bas helped shepherd the creation of the monument at 10th Street and Capitol Mall that memorializes the more than 1,400 officers killed in the line of duty since California became a state.
His devotion to the cause was so great that he and his wife, Dottie, would spend hours each year polishing the bronze at the memorial before annual services honoring fallen officers.
The run will begin at 5:15 a.m. from the CHP academy.
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