Full Notification

Los Angeles County Deputies Participate In a Journey of Honor:
Bicycling to Washington D.C. in the Police Unity Tour.

On May 10, 2015, nearly 1,800 law enforcement personnel from across the Nation will participate in a bicycle tour to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. to raise funds and awareness for our fallen peace officers. Additional sheriff and police officials will join the tour to provide support for the riders, making this one of the largest law enforcement events in the United States.

The Police Unity Tour is the largest donor to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund. Last year’s event raised over $1.9 million, which was donated to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Since 1997, donations total nearly $16 million.

The Police Unity Tour – Southern California Chapter will have over 300 riders and supporters participating in the event, including 27 personnel from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department:

• Team Captain, Deputy Joseph Rosalez, assigned to the Emergency Vehicle Operations Center;
• Sergeant Devon Akita, assigned to the Inmate Reception Center;
• Deputy Jose Arciga, assigned to Lakewood Station;
• Deputy Antoinette Bowen, assigned to Lakewood Station;
• Reserve Deputy Jacob Castroll, assigned to Malibu/Lost Hills Station;
• Deputy Maricela Dusky, assigned to Century Regional Detention Facility;
• Deputy Pedro Echeverria, assigned to the Mountain Enforcement Detail;
• Commander Kelly Fraser, Twin Towers Correctional Facility;
• Deputy Silvano Garcia, assigned to East Los Angeles Station;
• Deputy Danny Han, assigned to Norwalk Station;
• Deputy Craig Hathaway, assigned to Norwalk Superior Court;
• Deputy Mike Herrera, assigned to Lakewood Station;
• Deputy Scott Hutter, assigned to the Emergency Vehicle Operations Center;
• Deputy Ray Kimmell, assigned to the Men’s Central Jail;
• Deputy Janette Leo, assigned to Lakewood Station;
• Deputy Monica Malagon, assigned to Industry Station;
• Deputy Joe Manfree, assigned to East Los Angeles Station;
• Deputy Yvette Ortega, assigned to the Inmate Reception Center;
• Deputy Gerardo Pachuca, assigned to Major Crimes Bureau;
• Sergeant Mark Patrick, assigned to the Emergency Vehicle Operations Center;
• Forensic Identification Specialist II Christopher Purcell, assigned to the Scientific Services Bureau;
• Deputy Angel Rodriguez, assigned to Major Crimes Bureau;
• Deputy Deborah Romero, Court Services Division;
• Deputy Brian Villa, assigned to the Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention;
• Deputy Lisa Villanueva, assigned to East Los Angeles Station;
• Sergeant Steve Wyatt, assigned to Men’s Central Jail.

On May 10, 2015, the group will fly with their equipment to Somerset, New Jersey, where they will begin the three-day, 280-mile journey through Philadelphia, Delaware and Maryland, and complete their circuit in Washington D.C. They will join other law enforcement officers from other Police Unity Tour Chapters across the United States as they ride into Washington D.C. to kick-off National Police Week.

The 27th Annual Candlelight Vigil will be held on May 13, 2015, at the Memorial in Washington D.C., where the names of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Brandt Ross (End of Watch: 09-24-1921), Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputy Otto R. Ellinger (End of Watch: 12-06-1934), and Los Angeles County Safety Police Lieutenant John Wyndell Robinson (End of Watch: 12-24-1980) will be formally dedicated and included in the Memorial, along with the names of other law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty during 2014. The Memorial contains the names of over 20,000 fallen heroes.

The Police Unity Tour’s motto, which is simply stated, “We Ride For Those Who Died,” is just that: Law enforcement personnel joining together to complete a bicycle tour, raising awareness for their professional brothers and sisters who died in the line of duty, and raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial and Museum. It was organized in 1997, by Officer Patrick P. Montuore of the Florham Park Police Department, New Jersey, and began with 18 riders on a four-day, fund-raising bicycle ride from Florham Park, New Jersey, to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.. That event raised $18,000.

To view photos of previous Police Unity Tours, click: Pictures.PoliceUnityTour

If you would like contribute to the Police Unity Tour - Southern California Chapter, click www.socalput.com or send your donation to:

Police Unity Tour - Southern California Chapter
23890 Copper Hill Drive, Suite 170,
Valencia, CA 91354

All donations to the Police Unity Tour are tax deductible (Tax ID# 22-3530541).

For information about the Police Unity Tour please contact Media Relations Coordinator, Karin Storm, at [email protected] or Chapter President Gil Curtis at [email protected].

For more information about the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, please visit our website at www.lasd.org.

Written by:
Deputy Lillian Peck
Sheriff’s Information Bureau
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
323-267-4800

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