The rain may have stopped the ride for members of the Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors cycling event Wednesday, but it didn’t dampen their mood.
Several riders were taking a break on the third day of their 878-mile, cross-state bike tour at the Jeffersonville Fraternal Order of Police lodge by playing cards, talking, laughing and joking with the other riders.
About 18 bicyclists resumed the next stage of the charity event this morning on a 76-mile ride toward Huntingburg.
The ride raises money for families of law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty, and this year has been a banner year for the charity. Forty-four police officers, families and friends registered for the bike ride — with 12 planning to complete the entire route around the border of the state.
The group already has raised about $30,000 during the 13-day event. Rich Crawford, committee chairman for Cops Cycling for Indiana C.O.P.S. and master trooper with the Indiana State Police, will find out the total Aug. 1 when he is presented with a check in Indianapolis.
The seeds of the annual event were borne out of riding in the 2003 Police Unity Tour, in Washington, D.C. Former Indiana State Police Lt. Gary Dudley had the idea to bring an event to Indiana and raise money for the state and its officers.
“You cannot talk about this event without talking about Gary Dudley; it’s impossible,” Crawford said.
In May 2003, Dudley and about six other police and friends started the bicycle tour through Indiana to help people that had suffered the loss of a loved one.
The tragic twist is that Dudley became one of the officers the rest of the cyclists were riding for.
On Aug. 22, 2006, Dudley and retired Lake County Police Chief Gary Martin were killed during the bicycle ride on Ind. 63, just South of Interstate 74.
A truck rear-ended the support vehicle for C.O.P.S., which subsequently struck and killed Dudley and Martin and left Spencer Moore, another rider and retired Indianapolis police officer, injured.
Dudley’s and Martin’s memories — as well as any officer killed in the line of duty — are carried along with the riders. Many wear buttons or carry pictures, and even the logo for the bicycle tour is an image of Dudley.
This year, the support vehicle for the riders is adorned with a photo of Monroe County Deputy Sheriff Sarah Jones, who was killed in a traffic accident.
“When you ask guys to give up 13 days of summer vacation, and being with their families, and their loved ones, and have them get on a bike and pedal around the state of Indiana ... this group of people here is very dedicated to the cause,” Crawford said. “Almost all of [the officers] do this on their own time.”
The organizers of the event also have received an outpouring of support from people that may not have a direct connection with police. Many offer meals, lodging or financial support for the cyclists along the route. Everything for the riders is sponsored, so all of the money raised goes back to the charity.
“The whole mix of people have the same passion for what we’re doing,” said Tom Heddy, Shelbyville resident and Dudley family friend. “When you see what it means to those families — after doing two days last year, I was hooked. I said, ‘I’m doing all 13 next year.’
“I would be glad to give up my vacation for that.”
For law enforcement, the public support also means something else.
“It’s always been my highlight of the summer because of the nice people we meet around the state and the effort it takes,” said Stephen Knight, Indianapolis Metro Police Department officer. “It’s all worth it because when we ate dinner [Tuesday], those people couldn’t have been any nicer.
“You get to know the other element that we as police don’t always get to see at work.”
Knight and the other riders also were able to see support not normally taken in by the officers when they rode into Martinsville. School children from some of the local day cares were standing along the side of the street, greeting the officers with signs and cheers.
“That was really cool,” Knight said.
The idea is something that has caught on in other regions. Illinois has a similar cycling event spawned from Indiana C.O.P.S., which is in its third year.
“It keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s an event that I think will continue to grow year-to-year,” Crawford said.
YOU CAN HELP
• Donations can be made by visiting the Web site www.indianacops.org and clicking on the cops cycling link. You also can follow the progress of the ride on the Web site through a twitter account or by GPS tracking.
Clark County (The Evening News)
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Discussion
July 23, 2009
C.O.P.S. ride in memory of others across Indiana
Ride raises money for families of police killed in the line of duty
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