All together now
Eatontown Local 305 members, from left, State Delegate Jason Cardamoni, Sergeant Brian Mulholand and members Kenneth Errickson, Kevin Licknack, James Christie and Chris Bartlett come together before the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall after the 2016 Unity Tour on May 12.
Eatontown Local 305 has seen its number of bicyclists double since first participating in the Unity Tour four years ago.
“ I refer to the six of us that ride together as my second family,” indicated Local 305 member Chris Bartlett.“ Knowing that we’ re doing a good thing here, supporting the Memorial, the Museum and letting everyone know we haven’ t forgotten keeps us going.”
Local 305 rides as part of Team Monmouth County and extended its family circle after dedicating the 2016 ride in memory of two law enforcement officers whose surviving family members ride next to them.
Christine Petzold embarked on her sixth tour in honor of her brother David Petzold, who served with the Upper Saucon Police Department in Pennsylvania before passing on Nov. 9, 2006.
“ It’ s an honor,” emoted Local 305 State Delegate Jason Cardamoni.“ You see how much it means to them and it makes it mean even more to us to show them they’ re not alone, and that we appreciate the sacrifices of their family member.”
Local 305 also rides with Barb Apanites, the daughter of Detective John Apanites, Jr., who served with the Cleveland Police Department before he died in the line of duty on April 7, 1969.
“ We pass a lot of memorials along the way but the best part of trip is at the end of the day when we’ re sitting by our trailers and are able to just be together,” reminisced Cardamoni.“ They become part of our family really, and that’ s really what it comes down
to: We’ re family.” d-Jennifer Trattler
The ride that binds
The officers who ride together … well … you get the idea.
They don’ t call it the Unity Tour for nothing, and the riders from Sussex County Local 138 seemed to put the unity in this year’ s tour. The Local that spans towns across the county sent 20 riders en route, a group that essentially bonded together via, well, brotherhood.
“ We all work together. We fundraise together. We came down together,” explained John Bannon of the Sussex County Sheriff’ s Office who was the veteran member of the team riding in his ninth tour.“ We see a lot of the guys all the time. They just started riding with us and through word of mouth it grew to the other departments.”
Working together, according to Bannon, makes a difference on the street where he says they are able to push one another if somebody needs help or is having a bad day. And it helped on the penultimate day of the Tour when they had to ride the whole afternoon in the pouring rain.
“ Yeah, we all take care of one another, we all look out for one another,” Bannon added.“ We have a lot of fun. We go out to dinner with one another. Just the fact that we’ re a whole law enforcement community keeps us together.”
And during the 2016 Tour, Sussex County Local 138 showed that the unity continues to roll. d
-Mitchell Krugel
Welcome to the big time
The journey for the Middle Township Local 59 riders captures a slice of how big the Unity Tour has grown in 20 years.
For starters, the Middle Township team from Cape May County ballooned to 11 riders for the 2016 Tour, and much of that, according to team leader Leonard Larkin, resulted from his chief saying he will send as many officers as he can afford every year. Additionally, Department captain John Edwards is retiring this year, so they inspired him to ride as sort of a 300-mile farewell party.
And in 20 years the Unity Tour has generated fans, which had a big impact on this group. Yes, the masses that lined the streets of Washington, D. C. to greet riders as they pedaled toward the finish line at the National Law Enforcement Memorial were bigger than ever before, including rows of children wanting to high-five law enforcement stars. But along the way, it was the people who came out of their houses to cheer on the Tour that made it a big-time rush.
“ Some of them were still in their pajamas,” revealed Larkin, who made his fifth Tour this year.“ They come out just to say,‘ Thank you.’ We hear them and we appreciate it.”
No thanks appeared to be necessary. Larkin noted that the Middle Township team was overwhelmed by the magnitude of this year’ s Tour from start to finish.
“ This was probably the biggest I’ ve seen it,” Larkin added.“ Personally I feel proud that we have a good group of guys that wanted
to come down here to experience this.” d-Mitchell Krugel
Better late than never
Trenton Local 11 State Delegate Drew Asbury has been on the job for more than two decades. He has been to Washington, D. C. for Police Week twice representing Trenton Top Cops, and even visited the White House. But following his first Unity Tour ride, Asbury has reached a new career milestone.
“ After 21 years as a police officer, this is the most proud I’ ve ever been,” he declared from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial after the Tour’ s arrival.“ The amount of public support we felt on the way down – those who welcomed us with open arms – arriving here feels like you just won six gold medals.”
Coming from a family in which six of eight grandchildren( Asbury included) pursued careers in law enforcement, and with Great-grandpa also having been a Trenton officer, Police Week holds a special meaning in his family. But that’ s not why Asbury finally hit the road with the Unity Tour.
“ To be honest, two years ago I started getting a little heavy,” admitted the 47-year-old.“ So I started doing some mountain biking and someone said,‘ You should do the Tour with us.’ And it’ s been one of the most fulfilling things I’ ve done( as an officer).”
Along the road, Asbury – a K-9 officer – carried little packets that included photos of his colleagues Joda and Crunch, as well as a copy of the Prayer to Saint Michael and a stack of Trenton Local 11 window decals that he handed out to kids who came out to watch the Tour pass by.
“ The kids loved the pictures of the dogs. I’ m just in it,” he acknowledged. d
-Joshua Sigmund
34 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JUNE 2016