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The following article appeared in today's edition of Western Michigan University's newspaper the Western Herald. Thanks goes to this publication for covering our event.

http://www.westernherald.com/?p=250

Police chase themed race provides fun and charity

Josh HolderbaumWestern Herald

Six guys run out of a car with 115 people chasing them. This isn’t a mob scene, however: it’s a race.

On Sept. 7 the annual Kazoo Area Foot Chase benefit run was held at Celery Flats Canoe and Bicycle Livery.

The race, which was open to all entrants, featured runners pursuing volunteer “suspects” around the course.

“The race is a three-and-a-half mile run,” Officer Jim Lord, Portage Police Department and Foot Chase committee member, said. “It is timed, but it’s not as serious as other races. It’s patterned after a real foot chase.”

The chase began at 9 a.m. with a short situation being played out over a police radio involving a car full of suspects. The suspects, wearing blue bandanas, crammed into a rusty car before running off after the car filled with smoke.

After the suspects were given a head start, gunshots signaled the start of the chase which included 115 runners and walkers.

Participants were given no maps of the route and relied on witnesses situated around the track for information about where to go. The route included trails, fences and a nearby house. Suspects were also allowed to hide anywhere on the course.

Runners received prizes for collecting contraband such as guns and knives dropped by the suspects or by “arresting” the suspects and taking their bandanas.

This year’s run was better attended than before, Lord explained.

“Usually we have about 60 or 70 runners, but this year we had 115,” Lord said. “We have more tables and vendors this year. Everything’s been very good.”

The runners also enjoyed the pursuit.

“It was very entertaining,” Scott Boelman, a first-year runner from Richland, said. “I think it was uphill all the way. I was trying to get the witnesses to give the other runners the wrong information, but they wouldn’t listen.”

However, tracking down suspects was a bit harder.

“I didn’t even see any suspects,” Boelman admitted. “As soon as we rounded the bend and got to the field everyone had spread out. I never saw a one.”

Benefits to the race went to MI-COPS, a non-profit group that aids family members of fallen police officers. Prior to the race, Rich Migala of the Southwest Michigan 100 Club presented MI-COPS with a donation of $13,000.

The event also featured booths from various safety departments in the area, as well as classic police cars, an Army rock wall, silent auction and K-9 demonstrations by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

One of the more popular booths for kids was “Crime Scene Interactive,” which gave kids a chance to dust for fingerprints, analyze blood samples and hand out identification packs to parents, which included both fingerprinting and swabbing their mouth for DNA.

The booth also featured facial reconstruction “portraits” of kids by Lt. Pali Matyas, Portage Police Department, who used computer software to recreate the faces of visitors.

“Mainly our booth is to give kids something to do,” Kathy Mirakovits, Portage Northern High School science teacher and CSI booth worker, said. “Mostly it’s to let them use science. If they look at blood samples, they use chemistry. If they dust for prints, they’re using physics.”

The event also honors one slain officer each year. This year’s event honored Officer Jessica Nagle-Wilson of the Hazel Park Police Department. Nagle-Wilson was gunned down on July 28, 2002 by a suspect when she responded to a call about a dog barking.

Nagle-Wilson’s family set up a booth devoted to her, featuring news clippings about her and information on the foundation in her honor.

“I’m really honored to see Jessica remembered,” Debbie Nagle, Nagle-Wilson’s mother, said. “I think it’s great that they recognize those from the past. It’s been about six years now for Jessica. As a mom, you always want them to remember.”

Nagle’s experience was also good enough to look forward to next year’s event.
“It’s my first year here,” Nagle said. “I think I’m going to get in shape so I can run it next year.”

For more information on the Foot Chase or MI-COPS, visit www.kazoofootchase.com or www.mi-cops.org.