POLICE WEEK 2015: UNITY TOUR
Members of Clifton Local 36 who rode the Police Unity Tour
prepare to leave a flag at the site on the Memorial Wall where
fallen member John Samra’s name in inscribed.
‘It doesn’t matter what patch you wear out there’
ITY
Chris Mancuso could have been the poster-rider for the effort he
and his fellow members from State Corrections Local 105 put into
this year’s Unity Tour.
As the post-Tour ceremonies concluded, Mancuso stood with
his brothers, left arm in a sling but a big smile on his face.
“I went over the handlebars,” he explained. “I really don’t know
what happened. It happened on the second day. I stopped for the
day. They wanted me to stop for good. They tried to tell me to stop
5,000 times. But I’m stubborn. I had to push through.”
Mancuso joined Local 105 members Marco Fernandes, Frank
Rizzo, Jason Mutchler, William Shelton and Raul Yepez as first-time
riders. The State Corrections contingent doubled this year to
include eight riders that raised more than $10,000 for the National
Law Enforcement Memorial.
Local 105 has become known for going all-in on many fundraising events in New Jersey. And the members are bent on increasing
their participation in the Unity Tour because they know how much
good can come from riding.
“It doesn’t matter what patch you wear out there,” Shelton said.
“Whether you are a corrections officer, sheriff, state trooper or FBI
agent, we’re all riding for the same cause. We can take this back to
the prison with us and let the others guys now there are officers who
care about corrections as much as we care about them.”
So there seems to be a sense of duty here that adds to the sense
of remembering for State Corrections.
“As I’ve said to our members before, we are an organization to
whom much is given, so much is required,” commented Local 105
President Lance Lopez who was on hand to support and greet his
members when they arrived. “We have a responsibility to be a positive force in the community in general and the law enforcement
community where we work. We embrace that responsibility.” d
‘Way more powerful than I ever thought’
Chuck Schnell has gone from being the lone rider from Long
Beach Township Local 373 to being the lead rider.
The sturdy dozen from Local 373 in this year’s Unity Tour
included four first-time riders. Schnell actually picked up the lead
from former State Delegate Kevin Lyons and has been riding the
past several years. His recruiting has consisted of mainly sharing
his feelings about making the tour.
“I just told them the stories and that you have to do it at least
once in your career,” Schnell said. “It’s an emotional journey that
starts from raising the funds that go to the Memorial to the camaraderie of riding with your own guys to coming to the finish, seeing all the families and feeling the goosebumps. There’s nothing
like it.”
Local 373 members Mike Brennan, Anthony O’Cone and
Butch Hartmann were among the first-timers in this group. They
heard the stories about riding, but never imagined this.
“It’s way, way more powerful than I ever thought,” Hartmann
said. “It gets you before you even get close to the finish. Then you
get here and it’s overwhelming.”
O’Cone confirmed that you have to find it within yourself to
keep going, “multiple times a day.”
And how do you do that?
“Funny you should ask,” Brennan said. “We struggled. You got
to persevere.”
All three said they will persevere and be back to ride with
Schnell next year. d
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