PEORIA, Ariz. — On this National Police Week, Valley police officers traveled hundreds of miles to pay their respects to law enforcement who were killed in the line of duty. The Peoria Police Department Honor Guard traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the National Police Officer’s Memorial.
Thousands from around the world attended the event, according to Peoria police. The gathering, both emotional and uplifting, was for fallen officers and their families. Peoria Detective Mike Griffin said he stood guard at the wreath laying at the Police Officer’s Memorial Wall and shared what it meant to him to be a part of the ceremonies.
“For us to come here as a team and recognize officers who have fallen is mostly to pay respects for their memory and give and support to their families left behind, also paying respects to their loved ones," Griffin said.
Peoria's Deputy Chief of Operations, Marcel Spaulding, also just got back from Washington. He was part of a team riding bikes from New Jersey to Washington. They raised money for police officer charities and honored officers who lost their lives protecting our communities.
Spaulding said he has done the ride about 15 times. This year's chapter of riders was made up of about 100 participants. Unfortunately, he had a small accident and had to pause for part of the ride. But he was still there in support. He described the moments he rode into the police week crowds in Washington.
“There’s a pretty big procession with motorcycle riders, and there are survivors there," Spaulding said. "There are families of the other participants. And they line the streets all the way to the memorial, giving us cheer and praise. It’s pretty moving.”
Spaulding said all of the chapters combined raised about $700,000 for police charities. The charities are still accepting donations.
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