2017 Police Unity Tour
This May will be the fifth year that I have had the pleasure in participating in the Police Unity Tour, a 4-day, 300 mile bike ride to our nation’s capital along side thousands of law enforcement officers from throughout the United States during Police Week.
The purpose of the bicycle tour is to first raise awareness of Police Line of Duty deaths and secondly to raise money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) where each officer’s name will be memorialized in stone at the Memorial.
Our chapter’s tour begins on May 9th with a 60 mile ride through New Jersey to honor 3 NJ State Troopers who made the ultimate sacrifice: Trooper Sean Cullen, Trooper Eli McCarson and Trooper Frankie Williams. We will conclude our ride on May 12th at the National Law Enforcement Memorial located in Washington, D.C. After the tour arrives at the memorial, a Candlelight Vigil is held where the names of the officers killed in the line of duty throughout 2016 will be read aloud, while their survivors are present. It is a very humbling and emotional experience and I am very proud to represent my agency and to be able to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
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142
The Police Unity Tour honors law enforcement officers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, and also raises money for the NLEOMF. Last year, the total number of In The Line of Duty Deaths was 142.
According to an article published by the Associated Press, shooting deaths of law enforcement officers spiked 78 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the previous year, including an alarming increase in ambush-style assaults like the ones that killed eight officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
So far this year, there have been 38 Line of Duty Deaths and it’s only the third month into the year.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a break down of the Line of Duty Deaths are listed below:
142
9/11 related illness: 3
Aircraft accident: 1
Animal related: 1
Assault: 3
Automobile accident: 23
Drowned: 2
Duty related illness: 1
Fall: 1
Gunfire: 63
Gunfire (Accidental): 2
Heart attack: 8
Motorcycle accident: 7
Stabbed: 1
Struck by train: 1
Struck by vehicle: 9
Vehicle pursuit: 4
Vehicular assault: 12
This year I’m riding in honor of the Hero’s listed below:
5 Dallas Police Officers, EOW: 07/07/2016
July 7, 2016 will be remembered as the deadliest attack on law enforcement since September 11, 2001.
During a protest march held in downtown Dallas regarding the recent police shootings in Louisana and Minnesota, a gunman armed with a handgun and a rifle and numerous rounds of ammo, sought out to kill as many LEO's as possible.
The first report of shots fired were reported just before 9:00 p.m. as the protestors marched; 9:40 p.m. - two officers were reported down. At 10:53, authorities raised the number of total officers shot to a staggering 12, including an additional fatality. At 11:13, Dallas PD announced a fourth officer had died. A stand-off with the suspect ensued and went into the early morning hours of July 8th. At 1:47 a.m., a fifth officer was reported dead. At 3:06 a.m., the suspect was killed by a police-detonated robot bomb ending the standoff.
The Hero's listed below that were killed that day ran toward the danger, trying to do what we as LEO's are sworn to do: Protect and Serve!
Dallas Transit Police Officer Brent Thompson, 43, 9 years with the Transit Police
Dallas PD, Police Officer Patricio Zamarripa, 32, survived 3 tours to Iraq, 6 years with Dallas PD
Dallas PD, Police Officer Michael Krol, 40, 9 years with the Dallas PD
Dallas PD, Police Officer Sgt. Michael Smith, 55, 27 years with the Dallas PD
Dallas PD, Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, 48, 14 years with the Dallas PD (25 years total LEO time)
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PSP Trooper Landon E. Weaver, EOW: 12/30/16
On Friday, December 30, 2016, at approximately 6:30 p.m., PSP Trooper Landon Weaver was shot and killed when he and another trooper responded to a domestic disturbance in Juniata Township, Huntingdon County. Trooper Weaver went to the suspect's house on a routine call following up on a violation of a PFA (protection from abuse order). After Trooper Weaver confronted the suspect about the violation, the suspect retrieved a firearm from his bedroom and shot the trooper twice, killing him.
The suspect that shot Trooper Weaver had been released on bail on a felony charge earlier in the month and had illegally obtained the gun by trading five Suboxone pills for the firearm. Trooper Weaver was only 23 years old, had served with the PSP for only one year and died a true American Hero.
Although I did not personally know any of the Heros listed above, I have seen too many of our brothers and sisters killed trying to do their job and protect the public. I have the honor and priviledge to work side by side with many in the "blue" family everyday, including those in the Philadelphia Police Department who know the tragedy of losing an officer all too well; their loss is felt not only throughout law enforcement, but ripples throughout the country. With each new loss, old wounds are opened; the families of these officers and the surviving officers are reminded of the pain from losing each of these brave men and women who laid down their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice.
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Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
Charlene Hennessy - Special Agent, ATF
"We Ride for Those That Died"
