Ride to Benefit Families of Fallen Officers

In May, a Simsbury police officer will join hundreds of officers from across the country for a bike trek to aid the families of fallen officers.

Officer Jason Trombly will participate in the annual Police Unity Tour, a 300-mile bike ride from Florham Park, NJ to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. In 2011 there were approximately 1,400 participants in the event, according to the organization's website.

Trombly will join four officers from the Enfield Police Department and one officer from Windsor Locks for the ride, which was first organized in 1997 to raise money to assist the families of officers killed in the line of duty.

This will be the first ride for Trombly but he hopes to make it an annual event.

"It was something I wanted to do when I was an auxiliary officer in Enfield," Trombly said. Trombly has worked as a sworn officer in Simsbury for four years, and although he has never personally known anyone that was killed in the line of duty, he felt compelled to do something for his fellow officers.

Trombly is certified by the International Police Mountain Bike Association but is not currently assigned to bike patrol for the department. The 25-year-old officer rode competitively in high school and remains active, so he's not sweating the pending 3-day tour of the east coast.

To take part in the ride participants must raise $1,750 before the end of April. Trombly has already had some interest from individuals at Simsbury Police Department and local businesses but still needs help hitting his goal.

Donors who contribute $1,000 or more will have their name or company name displayed on a support trailer that will follow the group on the ride.

"I feel like this is just a great opportunity for us to give back to police officers who have given their lives over the years," Trombly said.

Anyone interested in helping Officer Trombly reach his goal before the Police Unity Tour can send a check for any amount to the Simsbury Police Department located at 933 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070 c/o Officer Jason Trombly (Police Unity Tour). Checks should be made payable to "The Police Unity Tour" and donations are fully tax deductable (Tax ID # 22-353054). Questions can be directed to Officer Trombly at 860-658-3100.