NORTH BRUNSWICK – Nearly a dozen North Brunswick police officers will ride 270 miles from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., in May during the national Police Unity Tour.
Nine officers will travel on their road bikes to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial during National Police Week, while two additional officers will assist with the support crew, making 2018 the largest showing of North Brunswick officers to ever participate in the tour.
Captain Brian Hoiberg; Sgt. Michael McCormick; detectives Michael Braun, John Hanrahan, Paul Pappas Jr., Richard De La Cruz and Ryan Uzunis; and officers William Trammell Jr., Christopher Fernandez, Ashley Bryan and Zachary Tevoli will participate and will honor the memory of officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I think it is just a sign of the times,” Hoiberg said of why so many officers are involved this year. “Police murders are up, and some may say that support is down. I personally feel that officers are sensing this and feel the need to support each other.”
The Police Unity Tour’s motto is “We Ride for Those Who Died.”
Today in the United States, some 900,000 law enforcement officers put their lives on the line for the safety and protection of others. Each year, there are more than 58,000 assaults, more than 5,000 injuries and on average, 146 officers killed in the line of duty, according to information provided by the North Brunswick Police Department.
“I think this event is important to show the families of the officers killed in the line of duty that there is support for them. Their loved ones were more than just a name on a wall; they were law enforcement officers that gave the ultimate sacrifice, their life, in service to their communities. If this annual ride makes someone think about that for a moment, or think about the officer that never came home to his/her family, then it was a great success,” Hoiberg said.
As part of the fundraising efforts, each officer has to raise $1,950 to participate, or $21,450 total. To donate, visit secure.e2rm.com/registr…/mobile/mobileTeamPage.aspx or email ppappa@northbrunswicknj.gov to send a check.
“We in North Brunswick have always been there to support our fellow officers, whether it be by attending police funerals, donating to causes, or in this case actively participating in something that hopefully brings attention to a cause. We are lucky to have the ability and willingness by so many to participate, and fortunate to have the support of the township and the police department behind us,” Hoiberg said.
For more information, call 732-247-0922, ext. 340.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@newspapermediagroup.com.
