Ride for Utah fallen officers attracts thousands of participants

LINDON, Utah, Aug. 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The 10th annual Utah Law Enforcement Memorial Ride for Fallen Officers on Sunday honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the line of duty.

The ride, a tribute to Utah’s 139 fallen officers who have given their lives, began at Timpanogos Harley-Davidson in Lindon at 10 a.m. Approximately 3,000 motorcycle riders participated in the event.

The ride followed a route from Timpanogos Harley to the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City.

One of the riders, Steve Myer, described his bike, which is a tribute to fallen Utah Highway Patrol officers.

“It’s a 2009 Harley-Davidson that the state bought a few years ago, and we had the opportunity to repaint it and customize it,” Myer told Gephardt Daily.

“It’s all hand-painted, we have the American flag on it, on the side panel we have all of our 15 fallen troopers, including our K-9 dog that was killed. It’s a great tribute to all fallen officers within the state of Utah and their great sacrifice losing their life in support of protecting others.

“That’s why we’re here, to protect and serve, and we go out every day and do it. There are thousands of people out in support of us, and it’s a great honor to not only us but especially the families of the fallen that live with it every day and it’s just a great tribute to them.”

Cameron Fawson said it was his first ride.

“We started out in Tooele, just a couple of us, and we rode in and ended up showing up at the Timpanogos Harley shop, and there were bikes everywhere. It looked like thousands of people,” Fawson said.

“I have a lot of brothers in law enforcement, so this was to pay my respects to all our fallen comrades, our brothers in law enforcement, and their families, that makes it very important to me to and my friends that are here.”

To read more about Utah’s fallen officers, click here.