Ride to Remember honors fallen heroes
Date: 8/22/2013
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comSPRINGFIELD – On the day their names will be memorialized, two fallen law enforcement officers will be honored by hundreds of others.
On Sept. 21, the Springfield Police Department will be paying tribute to one of their own, Officer Kevin Ambrose, as well as Westfield Police Officer Jose Torres, with the inaugural Ride to Remember, a bicycle ride with a route spanning more than 100 miles from Springfield to Boston where the two officers’ names will be added to the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial.
Ambrose and Torres were both killed in the line of duty in 2012. Ambrose was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance on June 4, 2012. On June 26, 2012 Torres was killed by a dump truck while directing traffic at a construction site.
In addition to honoring those men and raising awareness for fallen officers, the ride will raise money to support the memorial, which is funded through donations and receives no governmental support.
Sgt. John Delaney, one of the organizers of the ride, explained that the idea for such an event stemmed from an already existing event some officers hoped to take part in.
“A few of us wanted to do the [Police] Unity Tour ride on National Police Week, which is a ride from New York to Washington. It’s a three-day ride with thousands of officers on bikes to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial,” he said. “We were going to try to do it, but it was hard to put it together, so I had the idea of having our own tour to Boston. We have a memorial and the ceremony at the State House is not very well-attended, so we thought we could bring some attention to it.”
The addition of Ambrose and Torres to the monument this year further fueled interest in establishing the ride.
While Delaney expected strong support from the local law enforcement community, he said the outpouring the ride has received has been well beyond anything he could anticipate.
“When we started, I expected about 50 riders who would raise about $10,000,” he said. “As of today, we have 200 law enforcement officers riding who have raised $63,000 in cash.”
The immense support for the initiative was noticed by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, who made arrangements to change the date of the ceremony to coincide with the ride.
“The ceremony usually takes place on a weekday, which is why I think sometimes it’s not very well attended,” Delaney said. “When the monument committee saw how many people were riding, they switched it to a Saturday.”
In order to arrive at the ceremony, which is slated to take place at 5:30 p.m., riders will begin their journey at the corner of Main Street and Boland Way at 7 a.m. with an opening ceremony, complete with bagpipes and a motorcycle escort.
The police escort, including a State Police helicopter, will continue throughout the course, which will include the Boston Marathon route, which will be done in honor of those who died or were injured in the bombing on April 15, as well as MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who was allegedly killed by Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev on April 18 as they attempted to flee the area during the ensuing manhunt.
“Officer Collier isn’t being added to the memorial until next year, but a couple of MIT officers are riding with us as well,” Delaney said.
The Springfield and Boston fire departments will also deploy ladder trucks to drape large American flags over the course on Pearl Street in Springfield and at the site of the bombings in Boston.
Delaney detailed the taxing efforts involved with organizing such a cross-state event, explaining that for every town the ride will pass through, permitting and other regulations had to be followed.
“Putting this together been really overwhelming,” he said.
But for every challenge that has been faced, there has also been someone willing to step up to the plate and help make the ride a successful one.
Nearly 30 companies or organizations have come forward with monetary donations, goods or services needed to operate the ride.
For example, Delaney said, Smith & Wesson donated $5,000, while Big Y donated $2,500, as well as supplying food and water. Peter Pan Bus Lines donated a number of buses for transportation and AMR Ambulance will be providing medical services along the way.
“This is an historic event and the magnitude of what we’re accomplishing wouldn’t have been possible if not for the support we’ve received,” Delaney said.
While the ride is only open to law enforcement officers – active or retired – Sheriff’s Department officers, District Attorney’s Office and Probation personnel, parole officers, and fire or EMS personnel, the public is encouraged to participate through donations of money, goods, or time.
Tax-deductible monetary donations can be made by mail to the Springfield Police Department, Springfield Police Memorial Ride, 130 Pearl St., Springfield, MA 01105 or the Greater Springfield Credit Union, Springfield Police Memorial Ride, 1030 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01109. Checks should be made out to Springfield Police Memorial Ride. Donations may also be made via PayPal at
www.spd-ridetoremember.com/Donate.html.
Volunteers are also sought to help at one of the five rest stations along the route and supplies such as energy bars, water and sports drinks are always needed. Those interested in helping may contact Delaney at the Springfield Police Department by calling the non-emergency number at 787-6302.
