Seven in Hamilton, eight in Middletown, and in Cincinnati, the number is up to 100. These numbers represent the number of police lives lost in the line of duty to date.
For Officers Kristy Collins and Heather Maus of the Hamilton Police Department, the month of May brought a 230-mile bike ride to honor those, and other, fallen officers called the Police Unity Tour.
An officer in the Florham Park Police Department in New Jersey started the Police Unity Tour in 1997. A small group of riders rode their bicycles from Florham Park to the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for police lives lost in the line of duty. Since then, the ride has grown to include 9 chapters, each that start from a different place, but all end at the memorial. Once all the chapters arrive in D.C., Police Week begins with a memorial service and candlelight vigil that honors fallen officers and their surviving family members.
Officer Kristy Collins has been with the Hamilton Police Department for 24 years. In addition to being the public information officer, she also coordinates the children’s safety programs, such as Safety Town. Kristy decided to ride for a Cincinnati officer, James Weber, who was killed in 1982. Officer Weber was struck by a drunk driver while investigating a suspicious vehicle, and was killed instantly.
“My dad was a fireman at the time, and I went to high school with Officer Weber’s daughter,” Kristy remembered. “It’s a family, with police and fire, and I wanted to ride for him.”
Officer Heather Maus joined the department in 2014. She began working in the courts and she now works the neighborhood policing division.
“I chose the two Westerville guys who died last February,” said Heather.
On February 10, 2018, Officers Anthony Morelli and Eric Joering responded to a 911 hang-up call. A female let the officers inside, and unbeknownst to the officers, a male was hiding with a gun. When they entered the residence, they were both shot.
“There’s no particular reason why I rode for them,” she said. “You just start to think about it and it struck me. I just felt it in my heart.”
Neither Heather nor Kristy had previously participated in the Police Unity Tour. In fact, neither were bicyclists before, but together the two started their rigorous training in January.
“We wanted to be more prepared than not, knowing that this was going to be a tough route from the beginning,” Heather said. “I remember a few times where I didn’t know if I could do it, but then you think about why you’re doing it and who you’re doing it for, and you can push through just about anything to get these guys’ names out there.”
Heather and Kristy both rode in Chapter 4, which started in Richmond, VA. Day 1 led them 98 miles to Charlottesville. The next day they biked 76 miles to Warrington, and the last day they rode the remaining 56 miles into Washington D.C.
“You ride into D.C. and all the other chapters are sitting there waiting for you,” remembers Kristy.
During those times where they began to struggle, Kristy and Heather would look down at their wrists, where they wore their metallic blue bracelets, inscribed with the name, department, and end of watch of the officer(s) for whom they were riding.
But what sticks out to them was what happened after they arrived in D.C. when they revisited the memorial wall, which is filled with the names of fallen officers.
“We went back to the wall and there were people there looking at their loved ones names,” Kristy said quietly. “At that moment, it made it that much more important why we did what we did. It’s not about us, it’s about them”
Even if everything goes according to plan, the level of danger involved with being a police officer is something that often gets overlooked. Hamilton officers receive extensive training to ensure that every time they respond, they are as prepared as possible to handle whatever comes their way.
“I’ve only been a police officer for a short time, and I can think of circumstances where that could have been me,” Heather said. “Sometimes you go to a call and you get lazy, but then you see those family members and I never want to not be vigilant for them. I don’t ever want someone to have to ride for me.”
While in D.C., Kristy and Heather took the opportunity to hang a wreath at the wall to honor Deputy Brian Dulle from Warren County. Dulle was killed in the line of duty while deploying stop sticks in 2011. Placing the wreath and cycling in the Unity Tour are just a few of the ways these officers chose to honor the fallen, but Hamilton residents can do more to help.
Each bicyclist raises funds to help with wall maintenance and extension. Donations are also accepted year round online. Be on the lookout next year for fundraising events to support local officers participating in the Police Unity Tour in 2020.