Police Week: ICE cyclists honor officers killed in line of duty
For Ellen Pierson, peddling a bicycle from Indiana to Washington, D.C. was the easiest thing she did this week.
The hardest, she said, was etching the name “Daryl Pierson” on her bracelet before starting her ride to honor fallen law enforcement officers during this year’s Police Week May 11-15.
Ellen Pierson, a special agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, rides to pay tribute to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, and the families they leave behind.
“I love doing this ride and I love that I’m able to honor our fallen officers by participating in this event,” said Ellen Pierson, who is based in Tampa, Florida. “I’ve always loved cycling and I feel it’s important to pay respect to others who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. We can never replace them, but we need to let people know that we will never forget their sacrifice.”
Each year she writes the name of a fallen police officer on a bracelet, and then rides to Washington, D.C., to join in the National Police Week festivities around the nation’s capital. This year she chose to honor Daryl Pierson, who is of no relation to her. Daryl Pierson, a decorated veteran of the Rochester (New York) Police Department, was gunned down in the line of duty Sept. 3, 2014.
During the ride, Ellen Pierson and her team stopped at various police departments along the route to join in local ceremonies in remembrance of law enforcement killed in action.
This year, ICE Health Services Corps deputy chief of staff Adam X. Piceno joined Ellen Pierson for the first time on the leg of her ride from Indianapolis to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, a memorial in honor of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“It was a life changing experience for me,” Piceno said. “Eight days of bicycle riding in honor of fallen law enforcement officers and their families. You just can’t even explain the emotion all week long. In the end, the ride is about the purpose of the trip and the ceremony to honor our heroes.”
The pace of the route was grueling even for experienced cyclists, as the team rode up to 100 miles per day during the trip. To both Piceno and Ellen Pierson, though, the length of the trip was the easy part.
“When you’re young, you want to do this ride for yourself. The older you get, you look back and start seeing the effect and impact of the ride on the families of the fallen officers, that we remember and we will always remember their sacrifice,” Ellen Pierson said.
“Paying back the families for their ultimate sacrifice is impossible. But we can show them we will never forget their loved one.”
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