PARSIPPANY — Tuesday, May 9 was the first of four days of bicycle riding for the Police Unity Tour Chapter 1 participants who left from Florham Park and are headed to Washington, DC.
The Unity Tour consists of Police Officers from not only around the United States, but a handful of other Countries. On the fourth day of the ride over 1,500 riders from all of the Chapters come together for one final ride into the Law Enforcement Memorial.
Team “ParFedLakes” consists of Parsippany and Mountain Lakes Police Officers, along with Special Agents from the FBI.
Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Chief Paul Philipps is riding in honor of Sergeant Kerry Joseph Winters Sr., of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, New York.
Sergeant Winters was a member of the Sheriff’s dive team and died during a training dive on Thursday, September 22, 2016.
“As a member of the Parsippany Rescue and Recovery dive team, the tragic loss of Sergeant Winters touched me,” said Philipps.
Philipps will have the bitter sweet experience of meeting Sergeant Winters’s friends and family at the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C.
Philipps said “As I’ve done, too many times, at the conclusion of the Police Unity Tour ride I will give the widow a bracelet with his name as a memento. I want Mrs. Winters and all the families of our fallen officers to know that the sacrifice of their loved ones is appreciated and remembered.”
Winters, who had been with the Sheriff’s Office for thirty years, was a 1983 graduate of Saugerties High School, where he had been a standout wrestler and football player. A Saugerties resident, he was married to the former Michele “Mitchy” Ferraro and had two sons.
The Police Unity Tour’s motto is: “We Ride for Those Who Died” and we raise awareness about America’s fallen officers.
Philipps goal was to raise $1,850.00 but he raised $5,110.00, which is 276% higher than Paul’s goal. To see the complete list of donations, click here.
