By Jessica Oates
HPD members will bike to Washington as part of Police Unity Tour
Despite winter’s chill, Hamilton police officers are gearing up to be part of the Police Unity Tour for the first time ever.
The annual bicycle ride from Red Bank to Washington, D.C. raises awareness of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty while honoring their sacrifice. The tour was first organized in May 1997 by Officer Patrick P. Montoure of the Florham Park Police Department with 18 riders. It raised $18,000.
Last year, nearly 2,000 riders participated, raising $1.9-million for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Founded in 1984, the mission of the fund is to tell the story of American law enforcement and make it safer for those who serve.
The ride ends at the National Law Enforcement Memorial, situated in a small park in Washington that contains concrete statutes and a memorial wall. The wall bears the names of every law enforcement officer ever killed in the line of duty since records were kept.
Seventeen Hamilton Township officers will be making the 235-mile journey May 9-12 with Unity Tour Chapter 10 of Central New Jersey. Detective Matthew Bagdley, a resident of Hamilton Township, has been with the department for 21 years and said he’s glad for an opportunity to show unity with fellow law enforcement officers.
“I think it’s a really good thing to do, especially considering the current climate regarding police officers and the tragedies that happened recently in New York City,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, we are all brother and sister officers.”
Until the weather gets warmer, Bagley will continue to train at home on his stationary bike.
In order to participate, each officer is required to raise at least $1,850 in donations for the Unity Tour, which will then be donated by the tour to the memorial fund. Some of the money will be used to pay for the officers’ nightly accommodations, but food and other expenses will be paid for out of pocket.
The Hamilton Police Department began raising awareness of the upcoming ride by sending out flyers to local businesses asking for support. As of Jan. 16, the Hamilton Police team had raised $2,175, 7 percent of the way to its goal of $30,000.
Det. Len Gadsby, a long-time Hamilton resident, said he looks forward riding the tour with all his fellow officers, but especially with his sons, Hamilton Police Officer Bryan Gadsby and Jarrett Gadsby, a firefighter from Hamilton District 5 who will drive one of the trucks that will store the bikes at the end of each day.
“I’ve always wanted to do it,” he said, though he didn’t quite know where to get started.
But this year, Officer Iwona Smith pointed him in the right direction, and helped him get started by setting up a website where people who wish to support the officers can easily make a donation or send a check.
Smith had participated in the Unity Tour when she worked for the Lawrence Township Police Department.
“I really feel for the officers that have lost their lives doing their duty, and of course for the families they leave behind,” said Det. Gadsby, who explained that each department has the opportunity to sponsor the family of a fallen officer, riding specifically in their honor. The Hamilton Police Department is still waiting for confirmation of its sponsorship.
Like many of the other participants, Det. Gadsby is preparing for the big ride using a “trainer,” a device that allows the back wheel of your bicycle to spin in place so it can be ridden indoors.
Sgt. Joe Wilk is making use of the gym at the police station until the weather is nice enough to ride outside. He said he looks forward to the physical challenge of riding between 35 and 80 miles per day to reach their destination.
“When we first discussed the Unity Tour, we all agreed it would be a good and honorable thing to do,” Wilk said. “It’s no easy task, but it is for a good cause. It is an opportunity to show our respect for fallen officers and their families.”
The officers look forward to seeing their own families at the end of the journey, many of whom will travel to Washington to greet them as they arrive and to participate in a candlelight memorial service to remember fallen officers.
For more information, go to policeunitytourchapter10.com. To support the Hamilton Police Department team, go to firstgiving.com, and search “Hamilton Police Team.” Select the result that says it benefits Police Unity Tour Chapter 10 Central New Jersey.
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