Indianapolis, IN –Today marks the departure of the 15th annual Cops Cycling for Survivors bicycle ride around Indiana. This year’s ride celebrates the 15th year of Indiana State Police Lieutenant Gary Dudley’s vision of a ride to support law enforcement survivors. The year 2015 marked the first time in 30 years in which Indiana lost no officers to a line-of-duty death.
This year also honors the 10 year anniversary of when Lt. Dudley and Deputy Chief Gary Martin of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department were killed participating in the ride on August 22, 2006. The cyclists’ journey will last 13 days and cover nearly 1,000 miles bicycling the perimeter of Indiana honoring fallen police officers and their families.
Tomorrow, July 12th, the police escorted cyclists will be riding from Richmond into our area, riding along State Road 67 into Redkey (Jay County) for an early afternoon stop. The cyclists will then travel north on State Road 1 to Bluffton where they will stay for the night. On Wednesday morning, July 13th, the cyclists will continue north towards Angola with stops planned in Decatur, Fort Wayne (Law Enforcement & Fire Fighters Memorial) and Auburn. Please watch for the cyclists and their escort vehicles if driving in those areas.
Additional information on specific locations of meals and overnights can be found by clicking on the Calendar tab of the website. Click view calendar and the month of July. http://www.
Cops Cycling for Survivors Foundation, Inc. annual bike ride consists of active and retired police officers, law enforcement survivors, law enforcement family members and friends of law enforcement. The group rides their bicycles around the perimeter of Indiana to raise funds and awareness of the sacrifices made by Hoosier law enforcement families across Indiana.
Funds raised from this event are used to perpetuate the memories of officers killed in the line-of-duty and to aid surviving family members and co-workers of officers killed in the line-of-duty. Previously raised funds have been directly donated to foundations, scholarships and camps that have been started in memory of fallen officers, or by Indiana survivors in honor of their fallen heroes. In addition, funding has been donated to Concerns of Police Survivors, the Indiana Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors and Project Blue Light at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
The ride is scheduled to conclude on the afternoon of Saturday, July 23, 2016, at Crown Hill Cemetery, Heroes of Public Safety Section. The closing ceremony will begin at 2:00pm EDT. Indianapolis Colts long snapper Matt Overton will provide the closing message. All are welcome to attend.
To track the ride’s progress, stops, and activities, please like and follow them on the Cops Cycling for Survivors Foundation Facebook page (Cops Cycling for Survivors).