By Allison Musante, taff Writer
PRINCETON The township Police Department is seeking donations to participate in this year’s Police Unity Tour, an annual bicycle ride for National Police Week that raises awareness of officers killed in the line of duty.
Patrolman Chris King and Sgt. Geoffrey Maurer must raise $1,600 to participate in the tour, scheduled for May 9 to 13. To raise the funds, they are asking the community for pledges to sponsor them in a “Runathon” at the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell on April 16.
Also on that day, the community is invited to participate in a “fun run” to run or walk a lap of the 5-mile loop for a $10 donation. All other donations raised will go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which organizes the tour.
Officer King plans to ride in honor of Officer Kristen Pataki of the National Capital Park Police, a friend of his who died in a car crash in 2002 while responding to back up another officer. Sgt. Maurer wishes to ride for Officer Billie Ellis, a township officer who died in 1955 while trying to save two boys from drowning in the Millstone River.
”It’s so important that we never forget these officers who died and remind the families that we don’t forget, whether they died one year ago or many years ago,” said Officer King, who is entering the tour for his fourth year.
According to the Memorial Fund, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 53 hours.
The four-day tour will depart May 9 from the Manchester Township Police Department. The first day will cover 96. Day two will cover 50 miles, starting near the Delaware Memorial Bridge and end in Lewes, Del. The third day will take the officers 70 miles to Annapolis, Md. The final day will conclude with a 60-mile stretch to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., where a memorial ceremony will be held.
Pledge forms and other information about the Runathon can be obtained at the department’s website at https://sites.google.com/site/policerunathon/.
All other donations can be made payable to PBA 387 at 1 Valley Road Princeton, NJ 08540. The check should indicate in the memo line that the donation is for the Police Unity Tour.
