Four Carrollton officer to bike 250 in 3 days to raise $

By Matt Keyser

Four members of the Carrollton Police Department are about to embark on a 250-mile bike ride across Virginia and the District of Columbia to help raise awareness and funds for a museum honoring fallen officers.

Sgt. Derick Miller and Officers Anthony Taylor, Otis Kue and Michael Gibbs will trek from Tidewater, Va., to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

City of Carrollton

From left: Carrollton Officers Michael Gibbs and Anthony Taylor, Sgt. Derick Miller and Officer Otis Kue will ride from Tidewater, Va., to Washington, D.C., in May.

The ride will take three days during National Police Week in May.

“We are all cycling enthusiasts,” said Sgt. Miller, who has been biking for four years. Officer Taylor has cycled for six. Officer Kue began serious pedaling three years ago, and Officer Gibbs has spent the past 10 years cycling.

The officers will represent not only the city of Carrollton, but also officers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

“I’m real proud of [the officers],” Carrollton Police Chief David James said. “[They're] representing [all the] fallen officers.”

The ride hits close to home for the Carrollton Police Department. Detective Greg Fraid lost his father, a Kenosha, Wis., police officer, in 1973.

“The Police Unity Tour is a great way to bring attention to the Police Officers Memorial Wall,” Detective Fraid said in an e-mail. “The tour represents the closeness that all police officers have and how we continue to honor our fellow officers that have given their lives in the line of duty.”

The ride will end May 12 at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, where Craig Floyd, chairman of the memorial, will greet each rider.

The memorial contains a wall engraved with the names of all officers who have lost their lives while protecting and serving their fellow citizens. That total has grown to more than 17,500 since the 1790s.

“I’ve got a number of friends with [their] names on [that] wall,” Chief James said.

To participate in the bike tour, the Carrollton officers need to raise $7,000 by April 14 to cover their registration, lodging, food and other expenses along the way.

Part of the funds will go toward the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which is planning to open a 95,000-square-foot museum in D.C.’s Judiciary Square in 2011.

The Police Unity Tour has pledged $5 million for a Hall of Remembrance at the museum.

“[The hall] will be a continuation of the memorial wall,” said Kevin Morison, spokesman for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. “The hall will display photos of all the fallen officers and give a respectful, quiet space for remembrance.”