First responders cycle across Illinois to support families of police officers killed in the line of duty
CHICAGO - First responders are going the extra mile this week to support the families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
More than 70 cyclists including officers, state troopers and sheriff’s deputies from Illinois will ride 350 miles, from Alton to Chicago in four days.
The ride begins Thursday morning downstate and ends Sunday afternoon at the Gold Star Family Memorial near Soldier Field.
Paramedic David Johnson started the ride seventeen years ago.
His brother, Todd, was killed in the line of duty.
"My own inspiration is my brother. He was killed in the line of duty in 1993 in training. When they talked about possibly starting the ride, I put my hand up and said, sure, no problem I can ride a bicycle," said Johnson.
Many of the participants train for months to finish the ride.
Money raised by each of the cyclists supports the Illinois Concerns of Police Survivors, or COPS.
The organization is a non-profit, that provides legal, emotional and financial support to families of law officers killed in the line of duty.
This year’s ride honors three Chicago police officers who were killed on duty in 2020, including police officer Marco DiFranco, Sergeant Clifford Martin, Sr. and police officer Ronald Newman.
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