Police Unity Tour Launches 2014 Bike Ride for Police Week

On May 9th and 10th, hundreds of members of the Police Unity Tour—a group comprised of over 1,800 law enforcement officers and supporters, will launch their 2014 ride, biking hundreds of miles from points in East Hanover, N.J.; Franklin Township, N.J.; Millville, N.J.; West Trenton, N.J.; Portsmouth, Va.; Richmond, Va.; and Philadelphia, Pa., to Washington, DC.

The Police Unity Tour's motto, "We Ride for Those Who Died," is one that each rider seriously embraces. Participants not only train hard for the 300-mile average ride, each rider raises more than $1,700 to raise awareness and financial support for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

A reception was held in New Jersey's Liberty State Park Wednesday to kick off the 2014 Police Unity Tour, in which about 40 Hudson County law enforcement officers will bicycle to Washington D.C to raise awareness for officers who died in the line of duty, reports the Jersey Journal .

"The cause is just overwhelming," said Jersey City Police Officer James Lisi, who was the sole member of the JCPD to ride in the tour in 2003 and 2004 and since then has recruited many officers to ride each year.

Lisi first rode in the tour to honor his brother- in-law, Port Authority Police Officer Richard Rodriguez, who died at the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Tour's seven spokes will converge in Washington, DC on May 12th when they will ride into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at approximately 2:30 pm to the cheers of thousands of family, friends, colleagues, and supporters.