Police Unit y Tour
Edison Township Local 75
You never forget your fi rst
There was no sugarcoating the chal-
lenge of the Police Unity Tour when
Matthew Haley and Joseph Bench
commented about riding for their first
time with Edison Local 75.
“It was rough,” Haley shared truth-
fully. “Day three was the hardest.”
Pedaling numerous hills for nearly
300 miles in the heat is a challenging
day for even the most experienced rid-
ers on the Tour. Thankfully, Haley and
Bench traveled with plenty of inspira-
tion that kept them moving forward.
“This bracelet kept us going,” Bench
stated, referring to the names of the
fallen officers on his metal wristband.
“You just look down whenever you
need an extra push.”
It also helped that these Local 75
first-timers were not the only ones. In
the group of 21 members from Edison
who took the Tour, nine had never felt
the very powerful experience that has
become a tribute to the fallen. Mat-
thew Mieczkowski was one of those
first-timers who was overwhelmed by
the impact of riding.
“It’s one thing for people to tell you
about it. But to experience it is literally
mind-blowing,” Mieczkowski stressed.
“This is one of the coolest experiences
I ever had in my life.”
What may have made the ride even
more meaningful for Mieczkowski was
the fact that he traveled the distance
alongside his father, Local 75 Deputy
Chief Ron Mieczkowski. After 30 years
on the job, Ron felt there was no bet-
ter way to participate in the Unity Tour
for the first time than alongside his
son, regardless of the torture they may
38
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JUNE 2018
have felt putting up with each other as
roommates throughout the trip.
“I think I’m one of the luckiest guys
in the world to be able to do this with
my son,” Ron noted. “We motivated
each other.”
The Local 75 riders put hours into
preparing for the Tour. For Nicole Err-
ico, that meant working extra road
jobs and overtime to purchase her own
bike and equipment. Others, like Shir-
ley Dong and Jerome Sisolak, buddied
up as training partners. They started
by taking 10-mile rides and increased
the distance each time. By the end of
their training, Dong and Sisolak were
cycling more than 40 miles before the
wo rk day even began.
“We’ve been motivated by cowork-
ers who have been riding five to eight
years or more,” Dong explained.
Local 75’s many Unity Tour veter-
ans were thrilled to have such a big
group of newcomers join them for the
Tour, providing even more support and
awareness on the ride for those who
died.
“It was absolutely amazing to see all
of the new people train and work their
way up to coming out on the ride,” Lo-
cal 75 member Tim Ferrell confirmed.
“They all performed phenomenally.”
Amber Ramundo