Deputies training for a 250-mile bike ride
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He’s about to make a drastic departure from the average along with fellow bike patrol officer, reserve deputy Alan Roberts. They are actively training for a three-day, 250-mile bike ride from Virginia to Washington, D.C. in May as part of a fund-raising event called the Police Unity Tour.
The event was started in 1997 by a New Jersey police officer who wanted to honor fallen colleagues by riding his police-issued mountain bike to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial in Washington, D.C.. The memorial contains inscriptions of the names of 16,000 officers who have been killed in the line of duty since 1792.
The Police Unity Tour became an annual, nation-wide event involving several chapters from across the country whose mission is to raise money for the memorial as well as a planned state-of-the-art law enforcement museum and research facility in Washington, D.C.
Pennington and Roberts are participating via the Virginia chapter, which will have about 300 law enforcement officers participating, including some from Metro/Nashville Police Department.
“We want to show respect for officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Pennington said of becoming involved. “This year, we’re riding with Metro Nashville and they’re having one of their own put on the wall this year.”
Pennington and Roberts are the only two certified bike officers in the history of Warren County, although the requirement to ride is only to be an active or retired law enforcement officer. Pennington has been certified as a bike patrol officer for two years, while Roberts has been certified for about six months. They heard about the event from their bike patrol instructor and jumped at the chance.
Roberts expects it to be a meaningful experience well worth the sacrifice.
“We would want somebody to do this for us and that’s why we’re doing it,” he said. “If we were fallen officers, we would want somebody to treat us with the same respect.”
Pennington said while neither has ever ridden 250 miles, there is plenty of motivation to make it all the way.
“Every officer who will ride in this will wear a bracelet in memory of an officer that has been killed in the line of duty. When we get to Washington, we’ll meet the family of that fallen officer, so with the three days we’re riding, we’ll have this officer’s story,” he added.
A requirement of participating officers is to raise $1,250 individually, which goes toward the memorial, supporting fallen officers’ families, the museum and the research facility. The officers are soliciting donations and anyone interested in participating may contact Pennington at 668-5939 or Roberts at 473-6300.