We are 10 members from the Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. that will be riding in the 2016 Police Unity Tour; a 320 mile bicycle ride from East Hanover, NJ to Washington DC.
We are riding to Remember those Law Enforcement Officers that have died in the Line of Duty.
This blog has been set up so we can post on here each night of the Tour how our ride is going. We want to give those that have donated to this worthy cause the ability to be able to follow us each day during this challenging ride.
As we finish the 2016 Police Unity Tour, I just want to add a few more pictures from the ride, before, during and in Washington DC at the Candle Light vigil.
I want to thank again our supporters and those that donated to the Police Unity Tour. Without you we could not have done this.
Also I want to mention retired Lt. Joe Franklin who died while riding in this years Police Unity Tour after a fall from his bicycle on day one of the Tour.
Without people like him, we would not be who we are as a Tour.
No matter the crashes, no matter the gripes we get from the public, or even our co-workers at times, this ride is worth the sacrifice we make each year to dedicate the time to train, the time to fund raise and the time to spread the word about what the Police Unity Tour is and the reason it exists. As long as we continue to loose brothers and sisters in the line of duty, there will be those of us that will stand up to remember them, and show their families that we will not forget; we will honor their loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice. Temper the Grief with Honor.
And we did it. 300 miles to the National Law Enforcement Officer memorial.
Pictured above are Deputies Peek, Lyon, Blind, Robinson, Place, Hamilton, Reyes, Klemme, Sergeant Johnston, and Marquiss representing the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and the Monroe Police Department.
Day one is in the books and here is the video from my GoPro to show you our adventure. Day one is always the most memorable of the four day Tour because of all the towns and schools we pass that have people out to cheer us on. So take a look and I hope you enjoy this clip.
Well day one of our four day trek to Washington DC is complete and our team has survived! Tomorrow we Start off from Somerset, New Jersey and ride almost 100 miles to Wilmington, Delaware. Our chapter of over 400 riders enjoyed good weather. Though I am sad to report that we did have a rider go down and crash today. As I am writing this Blog, we know that the rider is in the Hospital and we hope he is doing ok.
Thanks for checking in,
Team Pierce County
As our team wraps up the small details as we prepare to fly out next week to Hanover, New Jersey, I can't help but pause. I pause because I have to think about the many reasons we are riding on bicycles 300 miles and think "are we crazy?" 300 miles is a far off distance. That would be like riding our bicycles from our home of Tacoma, WA, all the way 13 miles past Eugene, Oregon. Or if we traveled North, 25 miles north of Whistler, Canada.
But the reason we do this is because there are others that worked in Law Enforcement that have paid the ultimate price... and the families that feel the pain of missing their loved one for the rest of their lives. All of the members of this years Team Pierce County are members of the Pierce County Sheriff's Honor Guard, and because of this added (voluntary) duty assignment, we see and experience this emotion when we work the funerals and memorial services. We gladly represent our department while wearing our Honor Guard uniform to help the family know that we are here to support them and that we will never forget.
The Police Unity Tour is just another way that our team feels that we can pay back those officers that have passed. Without the contribution those fallen officers gave to our communities we would not feel as secure as we do each night. And no matter how many "bad" cops tarnish this profession, there are ten fold behind them that are doing the job right and making sure the bad guys go to jail, the bad guys stay in jail and that we can feel safe.
In a little over a week, we will be attending the Candle Light Vigil where the families of the fallen officers from 2015 will be in attendance. We will meet up with three families that we are riding for during the Tour. The families of Officer Rick Silva from the Chehalis Police Department, Detective Brent Hanger from the Washington State Patrol , and Sergeant Greg Moore from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department. It will be there that we present them the Bracelets we wore during the whole ride. I have done this two other times, and there is nothing I can write down here that will explain what the experience is like.
That is why we ride the 300 miles, and do it more then one time. The Video I have inserted at the top of this post is something I put together for the Annual Pierce County Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony (which will be held at McGavick Student & Conference Center, Clover Park Technical College,4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Building 23, Lakewood, WA). Please take a look, it sums up a few reasons why we ride.
Please stay tuned to this Blog in the next week and a half as I post up pictures and video from our ride each night after we get to our hotels.
Thanks for stopping by,
Team Pierce County
As we finish the 2016 Police Unity Tour, I just want to add a few more pictures from the ride, before, during and in Washington DC at the Candle Light vigil.
And we ride...
