[July 16, 2013]Last summer, the Logan County
Safety Complex was a rest stop for the COPS biking group as they
passed through town. The city police department hosted the rest stop
and offered healthy snacks along with cold drinks.
This year, the COPS bikers will once again pass through Lincoln and
stop here. But for one local officer, it will be a pit stop in his
new hometown.
Maurice Johnson has been with the Lincoln Police
Department just one year. After hearing about the COPS group, he
decided that from now on he will make plans to ride with them for
the trek of over 300 miles from Alton to Chicago.
Concerns of Police Survivors is an organization that was formed
on a national level in 1984, with approximately 100 individuals
participating. Today the organization has grown to more than 15,000
families.
The Illinois chapter of COPS annually makes the ride from Alton
to Chicago to raise awareness and show visible support to the
survivors of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The group also does fundraisers so that dollars can be invested
in survivors. Johnson, who is becoming fondly known by his fellow
officers in Lincoln as "Moe," said that the group offers counseling
to survivors, sends members to be with family when an officer is
lost, and makes it possible for some survivors to make the trip to
Washington, D.C., to see the memorial to fallen officers.
In addition, the group offers special camps for surviving
children.
When asked how one prepares for riding a bike over 300 miles in
only four days, Johnson explained that biking is a natural part of
his life, but he has been taking several rides to stay in shape.
Johnson hales from Galesburg, where he started his career as a
police officer. He said in that community there was a bike patrol in
the department and he was a part of it. As a result, he spent almost
his entire daily shift on a bike. When he came to Lincoln a year
ago, there were no more bike patrols, but he still bikes a lot.
He said right now, as he gets ready for this ride, he is taking a
bike trip at least twice a week and riding 30 to 40 miles at a time.
The group is expected to consist of about 50 officers, survivors
and supporters.
The route will begin in Alton on Thursday. They start that day
with a ceremonial back-tire dip into the Mississippi River. They
will take breaks in Chesterfield and Waverly and end their first day
in Springfield.
On day two they will leave Springfield and arrive in Lincoln at
approximately 10 a.m.. They plan to come into town on Fifth Street,
ride through downtown, then stop at the safety complex. After the
break they will proceed north through Atlanta and on to Bloomington,
where they will spend the night.
The third day they leave Bloomington, ride through Pontiac, stop
for lunch in Dwight and end their day in Romeoville.
On the final day of the ride, the group is scheduled to arrive at
9 a.m. at the Oakland Park Police Department, where there will be a
memorial service. They will then ride on to the Chicago Police
Headquarters. The group will be joined by the Chicago Police
Department Memorial Foundation and Gold Star Families for a ceremony
honoring 2012 fallen officers.
Afterward the COPS group will be joined by the Chicago Pedal for
Police riders for the last leg of the trip. They will ride to the
Gold Star Families Memorial and Park in Chicago, where they will
disband for this year.
When asked what was motivating him to take the trip this year,
Johnson said he felt it was good to participate and raise awareness
for the group, but he also wanted to represent his new hometown.
Johnson said he was fortunate in that he has never dealt with the
loss of a comrade he knew personally, but that all losses are hard
hits for officers.
"We are all family at heart," Johnson said. "We are a brotherhood
and sisterhood, and when one falls, we all hurt. Being a police
officer isn't just a job, it is a way of life, and we are all
together."
To learn more about the Illinois COPS organization, visit
http://ilcops.org/.
