Ofc. Bryan Rickards ALS Fight

Officer Bryan Rickards has served the residents of Abington Township as a Police Officer for the past 19 years. In November 2006 Officer Rickards was assigned to the K-9 Unit after training with the New Jersey State Police. Officer Rickards and his K-9 partner Ivan, are an award winning team, trained in narcotics detection, and patrol operations certified.  Officer Rickards has served as a K-9 SWAT officer, Field Training Officer, Emergency Vehicle Operation Instructor, Firearms Instructor, on the Honor Guard, DARE instructor, on the Montgomery County Major Incident Response Team, and Narcotics Task Force. Over the course of his career, Officer Rickards has been recognized with numerous commendations for valor, and going beyond the call of duty.

In April of last year, Officer Rickards began to notice that he was having trouble with his right hip, and was having some difficulty walking. He initially attributed this to an injury sustained while tackling an armed robbery suspect back in February. After many evaluations by specialists, and failed treatments, his mobility continued to deteriorate, finally rendering him unable to work the street in November. He was referred to the care of Dr. Leo McCluskey, the Director of the ALS Center for Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, for extensive testing.

On February 16, 2017, Officer Rickards was given the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Laterals Sclerosis). This is a rare and progressively debilitating disease that will prevent him from ever being able to return to work as a police officer.

Bryan has 3 young children, and could really use all the help he can get. The Abington Township Police Association is collecting money to assist in defraying medical costs both current and future and support his family. All proceeds will go directly to Officer Rickards and his family. This GoFundMe page, along with a Beef and Beer fundraiser scheduled for April 8, 2017 have been set up to do just that!

Dontations are also being accepted by the Abington Township Police Assocation (A.T.P.A.), PO Box 211, Abington, PA 19001.