Four colleagues of a slain Pasco deputy will join a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
By STEVE THOMPSON
Published May 6, 2004
One was stabbed, another electrocuted. Four drowned, eight died in motorcycle crashes, and 47 were shot to death. One was hit by a train.
In all, 146 of the nation's law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty during 2003.
One of them was Pasco sheriff's Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison.
Now four of his former colleagues will join other officers from around the United States next week on a three-day bicycle tour to honor these dead. The Pasco deputies will begin Monday with a group starting in Chesapeake, Va., and travel 250 miles to Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of officers from other states will bike similar distances to converge at the Lincoln Memorial at noon Wednesday. From there they will ride together to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
"It's awesome. . . . It's really an emotionally-charged event," said Pasco sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Tanner, who will ride along with deputies Gary Raulerson and Adam Tellier. Deputy Erica Morera will accompany them with Gatorade and moral support in a van lent by the Tampa Police Department.
The intent of the tour is to raise money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Each participant seeks sponsors to raise $1,500 for the trip, of which $500 goes toward travel expenses and $1,000 is donated to the fund.
The fund supports the memorial itself, ceremonies and other events, and also is put toward research on officers killed in the line of duty and work to prevent police fatalities.
The money also helps pay the travel expenses of slain officers' families who come to attend the week's events. These include a candlelight vigil on Thursday and a memorial service the following Saturday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The Pasco Sheriff's Office's honor guard will participate in the service, which will feature President Bush as the keynote speaker.
This year, among the attendees will be Harrison's children.
Two weeks from retirement, Harrison was shot in the back June 1 as he sat in his patrol car across from Rumors nightclub on U.S. 301 in Lacoochee.
The 30-year department veteran was the first Pasco deputy killed on duty in 80 years. Harrison was posthumously promoted to captain. Alfredie Steele Jr., a 19-year-old Lacoochee resident, was charged with first-degree murder.
To see Web pages honoring Harrison and the thousands of other officers who have been killed in the line of duty, visit The Officer Down Memorial Page at www.odmp.org
