Three UCF Police officers have spent the past few days biking from Virginia to Washington, D.C. to honor officers killed in the line of duty.
UCFPD Officers Terrell Alexander, Agustin Gonzalez and Maurice Thompson began the 250-mile journey May 10 after months of training and fundraising. They’re accompanied by UCFPD Corporal Alan Elliot, who is providing support and encouragement.
Called the Police Unity Tour, they’re joined by over 2,000 officers from agencies across the country to raise awareness about officers killed in the line of duty and raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and Museum.
Each Police Unity Tour participant was assigned a fallen hero to ride for.
Along the way, they’ve met with middle schoolers who wrote reports about each of the fallen officers and have been greeted by others who have passed on small tokens of appreciate for the fallen officers’ families.
The ride ended with a candlelight vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, where Elliot, Alexander, Gonzalez and Thompson escorted the loved ones of their fallen officer into the memorial.
Cpl. Elliot participated for Deputy Sheriff Sebastian Edward Diana from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Dep. Diana died in 2011 from complications of a bacterial infection he contracted while attempting to save an infant.
Ofc. Alexander rode for Sergeant Jorge Ramos from the Florida Department of Corrections. Sgt. Ramos died in 2016 after collapsing during a statewide Correctional Emergency Response Team competition.
Ofc. Gonzalez rode or Border Patrol Agent Manuel Alejandro Alvarez. Agency Alvarez was killed in 2016 in a motorcycle crash while on dirt bike patrol.
Ofc. Thompson rode for Deputy First Class Mark Franklin Logsdon from the Hartford County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland. Deputy First Class Logsdon was killed in 2016 by a subject who opened fire on officers in a restaurant.