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"We Ride For Those Who Died" | The Police Unity Tour's Remarkable Journey · Heroes Behind the Badge

0:10
Hey, good to see you again.
0:12
A warm welcome back to Heroes Behind the Badge where we tell
0:16
real stories about real cops.
0:18
We expose the fake news about the police.
0:21
We give you the real truth.
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This podcast is brought to you by Citizens Behind the Badge, the leading
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voice of the American people in support of the men and women of law enforcement.
0:33
For more information about how you could get involved and add
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your voice and support to the men and women of law enforcement.
0:40
It's Citizens Behind the Badge.org.
0:44
Hi, I'm your host.
0:46
I'm Dennis Collins.
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I'm a founding director of Citizens Behind the Badge and
0:50
a proud law enforcement father.
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As always, my two colleagues join us today, Bill Erfurth, better known as
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Billy to some of his friends, and even some of it his en, some of his enemies.
1:04
How you doing today, sir?
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I'm doing good and just wanna remind everyone to make sure that you click
1:12
online and you like and subscribe and follow, so that when these podcasts hit
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the air, you'll be the first to know,
1:19
that's a good point, Billy.
1:20
What I have found is that our, there's a lot of people listening,
1:23
but they're not subscribing or they're not following the channel,
1:27
and they don't rate it or review it.
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So it really makes a big impact on Citizens Behind the Badge
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and Heroes Behind the Badge.
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please, when you subscribe or you.
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Or you follow, it tells the platform, Hey, this is something that people
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like, so please do us that favor.
1:45
by the way, bill is a retired Miami-Dade police lieutenant, 26 years of decorated
1:51
service, and he is also a founding director of Citizens Behind the Badge.
1:57
And now say hello to our fearless leader, Craig Floyd.
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Craig is the founder, president, and CEO of Citizens Behind the Badge.
2:07
You probably know Craig as the founding CEO Emeritus of the
2:11
National Law Enforcement Memorial and Police Museum in Washington, dc.
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Craig, thanks for founding this wonderful organization.
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Thanks for being here today.
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Good to see you.
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Oh, it's gonna be a great day.
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Dennis.
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as you may have noted, I have my special hat on.
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This is a police Unity tour hat that I wore proudly on
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special occasions like this.
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I also have, right behind me a, painting that was presented to me
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by the Unity Tour over the years.
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I've known our guest now, close to 30 years, and, wow.
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It's an incredible story and, I can't wait to share it with
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our listeners and our viewers.
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I agree.
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with, no further ado, let me introduce our guest.
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First of all, a little background.
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It was 1997 and Patrick Montori, a member of the Ham Park Police Department
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in New Jersey, he wanted to raise.
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Public awareness about law enforcement officers who have
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died in the line of duty.
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He created the Police Unity tour.
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His idea was simple.
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Organize a bicycle ride from New Jersey to Washington, DC the Law
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Enforcement Officer Memorial to ensure that officers who have died in the
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line of duty are never forgotten.
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They ride for those who died the original tour.
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18 writers.
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Today coming up in, in, in police week, May, 2025, there'll be over 2000
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writers who ride to remember the fallen.
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when the writers get to the memorial, they're greeted by
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friends, family, and survivors.
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That, they fundraise throughout the year for the Unity Tour and it's
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ultimately donated to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
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Pat retired in 2015 as Chief of Police of the Florham, community, but he
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continues to lead the Police Unity tour.
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Pat, a warm welcome to Heroes Behind the Badge.
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A thank you for all you have done.
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To support law enforcement.
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A quick personal note, there's nothing more thrilling on the day
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that the police unity writers arrive at the memorial site in Washington,
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DC to see thousands and thousands of people riding into the memorial site.
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I've seen it number of times.
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It never, ever ceases to give me chills.
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So again, thank you for all you're you do, and welcome to Heroes Behind the Badge.
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it's, such an honor to be surrounded towards, gentlemen like yourselves
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as well as a very close friend, Craig Floyd, for many years.
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as he said, we've been, together for over 30 years now.
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and it's been such an honor and such a journey to make sure that we
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remember our fallen, but not just remember some, remember 'em all
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from the memorial to our museum.
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For sure.
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Craig and Billy have a bunch of questions they'd like to ask you.
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I'll turn it over to Craig and fire away, Craig.
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For starters, I just wanted to show a plaque that I cherish.
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I have a few plaques, here in my collection, but none
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more important than this.
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This, designated me back in 2004.
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Wow.
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We're getting old.
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as a life member.
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I. Of the Police Unity Tour and I, display this very proudly and I'm proud
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to display it here for our viewers and listeners, before we talk about the
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Police Unity Tour, and I have some great stories about how it all started and how
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Pat and I got together many years ago.
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bill, I know you were curious about Pat's background and I,
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think that's a good place to start.
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Let's start there, pat.
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and, interesting thing, and, Craig certainly knows you for 30 years and you
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guys have had some very memorable times together Great, fundraising that went on.
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But let's start with things that I don't know, about you and, let's talk
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about how you got into law enforcement.
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What was your position?
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What were you doing at the time actually?
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And then how did this actually.
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Manifest itself.
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Where did the, this idea of the police Unity tour come from?
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it's funny you asked this question like this.
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I had the opportunity two Sundays ago to be in front of the Atlantic County and
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Cape May County 200 Club to be able to speak about, this particular topic, who
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I was, what motivated, the Unity tour.
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And it's pretty simple.
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I, things are, people would say not by accident.
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I've had the very.
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I've been very lucky in life to be surrounded around the
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most amazing people in my life.
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from the very beginning, I wanted to become a police officer watching my
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uncle, who was an ESS County police officer come to my house in his uniform
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to see my grandmother, who we lived with.
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we grew up in Orange, New Jersey, right in the area where it's a melting
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pot between Newark, east Orange, Irvington, the larger city areas, in
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the Essex County District of New Jersey.
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I had such an, a appeal towards law enforcement and justice from a very
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early age, wanting to be involved in it.
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Although my father was, a, auto mechanic, auto body mechanic, repairing vehicles who
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he wanted me to follow in his footsteps.
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And I kept pushing towards becoming a law enforcement officer.
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And one of the challenges that I had very early on, which was really
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important to me just to mention now, was, is that I had dyslexia.
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obviously that could be a major issue when it comes to numbers and the
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ability for you to perform your job in professional way and being concerned about
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being able to do what you need to do.
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and when, someone said you had something called dyslexia, thank God for, again,
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like I said, the people that I've been surrounded around and in my life, a
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fourth grade teacher, it helped me,
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To this very day, I, I basically owe it all to a woman by the name of Mrs.
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Cosgrove, from my school, who basically took the time to make sure she gave
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me the extra assistance and help to be a part, of the community of education
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rather than trying to fall behind.
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And from that point on, I was able to learn and be a part of something to,
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get past that disability and to see.
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Maybe in the future become somebody, like a law enforcement officer had
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the opportunity, to be involved with ESS County Public Safety.
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for a year after I graduated high school, very quickly went into law enforcement.
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my uncle from ESS County was able to help me get involved in that.
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And then very shortly thereafter, there was, politically layoffs and things coming
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up, and I, all of a sudden reality came to me thinking like, where am I gonna go?
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What am I going to do and how am I gonna get there?
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I was.
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I found Florence Park, New Jersey by mistake, and then I ended up being there.
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and then just like anything else, the people that surrounded me in that
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community was a lot different than where I grew up, where people were
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very apprehensive and cautious around certain people and issues or concerns,
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thinking that someone was always gonna do something to harm you, or
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there was always going to be a reason to make sure that you were guarded.
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I went to a community where if you're directing traffic, people
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from the community brought you out donuts and iced tea.
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and quick story to that was, is one time I'm, I just get hired.
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I graduate from the police academy.
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I'm on top of the world.
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I. I feel like this is my home.
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Amazing, wonderful people.
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You're not hearing sirens all night from like, when, where in the city
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or where you, where I previously was.
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You're, experiencing life the way you would wanna experience life in a beautiful
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community of, citizens that want to be a part of the safety and, wellbeing.
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So I'm sitting directing traffic and, Craig will remember, Ridgedale Avenue
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and Columbia Turnpike, a major county road and county roads, and I'm sitting
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there directing traffic and waving at people are beeping at you not to yell
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at you, beeping at you, to wave to you.
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Then all of a sudden this woman comes out and brings me out a little box and brings
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me a plastic container igloo container.
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And she says, here you go.
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And it's, it's 80 degrees out, maybe not too crazy.
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Then as soon as she leaves, I. Get rid of the donuts and I empty
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out the, iced tea thinking that it's, who's gonna leave that?
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I don't know this person.
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Yeah, it's tainted or something.
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And then all of a sudden when I went into work, people are asking me, Hey,
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did you get dropped off the donuts?
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And, like people were saying, that's normal behavior here.
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So I'm saying to myself, what an amazing community that opened up their arms
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and I wanted to be so a part of it.
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So at that point in time in my life, I made a big, quick decision, and that
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was to be involved in the community, to be involved in the church, to be
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involved in anything I could be involved in that community to make it my home.
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So the people there would realize I really wanted to be there.
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I really wanted to be a part of the police department.
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I wanted to make a difference.
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And along that journey, I started educating myself
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about the community I was in.
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And understanding what was going on around me.
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and I found out that we lost officers and all of a sudden, who were they?
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I remember going out, and talking to other officers on my job and
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they would bring up, I got hired right after, Robert Houtman and
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Francis Daley, Frank Daley, died.
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and I'm like, who are they?
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And, then I started, realizing that, and educating myself and trying to find more.
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About them.
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So the, answer to my background is I was very, lucky to be surrounded
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towards people who cared directly for me and were a part of my life.
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And they helped me reach my full potential.
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not only in the very beginning of my career all the way through,
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I would be remiss not to mention the people I worked with.
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I, was very lucky in life, to find, this career and I set it at my retirement.
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If Craig would remember.
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As he was there, I said I would do this career all over again for free if I
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was given the longevity and the time to do it, because my experience not every
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day was great, but most of my career, of being surrounded towards amazing
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people willing to put on a badge and a gun, and also acknowledge that they
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could not come home that night, I.
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Our, I believe, is the greatest gift that you could give to anyone or be around.
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So I, chose to put myself in that community.
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I chose to become a brother and a sister to my fellow law enforcement
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officers, not only in my agency, but all the agencies that surrounded me.
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And I really wanted to be one of those individuals making a
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difference, not only by arrests, but by community actions and involvement.
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Yeah, I was just gonna say, Bill, Bill, first of all, I don't know that
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you ever told me any stories about you getting donuts and, views from,
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your, community there in Miami-Dade.
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I think that may not have, happened down there.
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We usually would get rocked and bottled or something like
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that.
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there different kind of treats.
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Yes.
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now I just wanted to add to it.
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this is a, neat part of the story and it's.
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Pure coincidence.
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my wife Veronica grew up in Florham Park, New Jersey, right?
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And so I go up there every, year at Christmas, my, in-laws have since passed
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and I don't make that trip anymore, but for many years I went up there at
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Christmas and spent a week or so, and, this one year, it was 1996, December.
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And I got a call from a guy named Jerry Mantone, who was a
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lieutenant in Madison, New Jersey.
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Jerry was a good friend.
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He had helped build the National Law Enforcement Officer's
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Memorial, and I knew him well.
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So he said, Craig, there's this guy that wants to meet you and he wants
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to help, with the Memorial Fund.
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And I said, sure, let's have lunch.
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And we did.
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And it was, of course, pat Montori who walks in with Jerry.
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We had a wonderful lunch and he told me about this idea he had.
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he, appreciated the memorial so much, and what it stood for, that
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he wanted to be a part of it.
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And he said, I'd love to organize a bicycle ride down to Washington, DC ended
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at the memorial, but we'll ride 200, 300 miles from New Jersey and, we'll raise
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money and awareness about, our fallen officers and, help the Memorial Fund.
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And, I left that meeting.
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I had so many of these people that wanted to help, and it's a wonderful thing.
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Everybody loves the memorial.
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but I was a little, suspect.
15:07
I, wasn't sure that anybody could organize a bicycle ride for 300
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miles from New Jersey to Washington.
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And I kind let it go and, figured maybe I'd never hear from Pat again.
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But sure enough, may of 1997.
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Pat comes down, to the memorial after riding 300 miles with 18 riders.
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And, that was the beginning of the Police Unity Tour in 1997.
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pat, you have a saying, you did an amazing thing organizing this
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ride, and it's grown so much.
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tell our listeners and viewers about the growth from 18 riders in 1997 to
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what the Unity Tour has become today.
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Again, it's a hard belief, hard to believe kind of story for me, no matter
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if I'm traveling somewhere along the line, somebody will say, over the past,
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29 years, Hey, I'm in the Unity tour.
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People will say, you'll meet people, and you, this is so hard to believe for me.
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That, an idea that you had actually touched people, not only in this
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country, but in multiple countries and has independent, police, unity
16:20
tour, riots, riot in other countries.
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So when we first got there with our 18 riders, we never thought that
16:26
this was going to be an annual event.
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By the way, I just wanna make that very clear because a lot of people on the
16:32
first ride, I don't know if Craig will remember, they said, lose my number.
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Because basically what I did, I just, like Craig said, I had
16:40
no idea how to run this thing.
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All I did was have heart, my head, and my will to wanna do something,
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not demonstrate, not with a sign, something silent, something beautiful,
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something amazing to remember.
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Our brothers and sisters who died.
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That's the only thing we wanted to do.
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But the problem was I went to AAA in my own community, right in Hanover Road,
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and I said, how do I get from Washington, from New Jersey to Washington, dc?
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So they gave me a trip ticket.
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So basically I looked through it a little bit and figured out
17:11
what would be the best or ride through there, which really wasn't.
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It was a lot of hills and a lot of craziness.
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Hence when we arrived in Washington, everybody was saying two days before we
17:22
arrived there saying, Hey, lose my number.
17:26
this is quite difficult.
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But then when we drove past the Capitol and you took a look over your right
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shoulder and you saw that beautiful dome, and then you're just passing
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Constitution Avenue and your heart start in the race, and then you start
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going closer and closer to where we call home, which is our national law
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enforcement officer's memorial site.
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And as soon as we got to the site itself.
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it's hard to explain.
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It's almost like I'm home.
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Welcome home.
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And as Harry Phillips, our executive director says so beautifully.
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they're saying, welcome home.
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All the brothers and sisters are on that wall.
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And, our ride had a lot of tradition to It it had us educating our riders who they're
18:16
riding for, contacting their survivors.
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Taking the bracelet that we had made up from us, made up for us to give
18:26
to those individuals saying that they rode those 300 miles with us.
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And then we also carried a dollar, which still goes on to this very day.
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This dollar represents the token or the donation from the officer on the wall.
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We carried their, donation that, which they would've been.
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On a bicycle if they could have, but they were, because they rode alongside and
18:52
on our heart and in our chest and in our heads and everywhere we could possibly be.
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When it was tough going up a hill when the weather was just trying, when
19:00
your emotions got ahead of you and you felt so, overwhelmed by what you
19:05
were trying to accomplish, and that there were so many odds in some cases
19:08
against you, when you're not a person who rides a bicycle every single day.
19:12
And this takes just more background.
19:15
the Unity Tour takes all year long for that officer to be a part of it.
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They have to be educated through many meetings.
19:22
They have to be trained.
19:23
We have to make sure that they're safe and that they're wearing
19:25
all the proper gear and it's not just get on a bicycle and drive.
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This organization, like I said, is surrounded towards the most amazing
19:35
presidents of all our nine chapters, delegates representation of our ride
19:40
marshals, our safety, our motorcycles.
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We are a city, small city going across four states in one district with
19:50
ambulances and all different types of things that you know we need to make so
19:53
we don't deplete the resources of our brothers and sisters along our ride.
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We mess up traffic enough.
20:00
We wanna make sure that we don't mess up the emotion of what
20:03
we're trying to accomplish.
20:05
We're not trying to hang a sign on our bike saying, Hey, we're
20:08
against one person or another.
20:10
We're against this what someone may say.
20:12
We're not against anything.
20:14
All we're for is making sure we're a member of our fallen.
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And we let our citizens know that we serve them and we serve them with honor.
20:19
And we want to make sure that they realize that we do it with dignity
20:22
and respect and we make mistakes.
20:24
We're human beings and that's.
20:28
One of the reasons why I believe this grow from, it grew from 18 riders to
20:33
2000 riders from an $18,000 donation annually to a $2.2 million donation
20:40
annually to over $40 million total.
20:44
For our, first that we've given to the national law
20:47
enforcement memorial and museum.
20:50
So did I realize that this was gonna go from 18 to 2000 riders to
20:54
be from here to Germany, to Italy, to Israel, to other countries?
21:00
No, but what I didn't never, what I never questioned was the honor and
21:04
dignity of everybody that was around me, that they showed this true val honor
21:10
and unbelievable amount of care and responsibility to be a part of the tour.
21:16
No matter what promotion I go to for somebody or event from another agency,
21:21
you know what they write on their resume?
21:23
Member of the police Unity Tour member for five years, seven years.
21:28
They don't only just say they're a member.
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Once they say they wanna let everybody know that they were member for years,
21:32
because to get that jersey on you, you have to earn it to get that white, blue,
21:37
and white jacket that we call our uniform.
21:39
You have to earn it.
21:41
You have to be a part of it.
21:42
You have to understand we're trying to do, it's not just about riding that bicycle.
21:47
It's about educating not only the community that's communities and states
21:52
we go through, but educating everybody on that bicycle about their own
21:56
agency who s suffered and sacrificed.
21:59
Themselves for them and their community so they there can educate others so
22:04
they're not forgotten, especially historicals as Craig did an amazing
22:08
job for many years, making sure for those who died, not in the active
22:13
years, but in the previous historical years, dating back to the 17 hundreds,
22:18
those individuals are not forgotten.
22:20
And that's a plug that I, always bring back when I speak about Craig
22:24
was his idea to make sure that.
22:27
Our research department was very thorough that we were the depository in the
22:31
memorial to make sure that those names would never be forgotten and investigated.
22:37
like I said, the Unity Tour grew from 18 to 2100, but we did it as a
22:43
partnership, a true partnership with the memorial over the past 29, 30 years.
22:51
pat, you,
22:52
you guys essentially, you ride.
22:55
For those that have died, and I'm not sure if we've hit on it yet, but it's
23:00
my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't each officer carry
23:06
something that represents who they are personally representing that has died
23:11
in the line of duty and talk about that.
23:15
Yeah.
23:15
E every rider that comes on the tour, if they select a specific officer or we give
23:22
them an officer, it'll be on a bracelet.
23:26
And, those bracelets are engraved within with the end of watch the
23:32
agency and the location of where they're gonna be engraved on the wall
23:36
or were already engraved on the wall.
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And that they're all given to the officers, that, ride on the tour.
23:44
And they are to educate themselves regarding that officer, what
23:48
took place, the story, and to also contact if they can, their
23:52
survivors, and if they're willing.
23:54
To meet us when we arrive in Washington, so we could let them know how much we
23:59
cared and respected their loved one, and that we wanna make sure that we
24:05
let them know that they were a part of, what we're trying to accomplish.
24:08
And that's their stories to be told, their memories to be continual, but
24:13
their duty never to be forgotten.
24:17
We know the, at the end of each, police week, the Memorial Fund
24:22
staff and the museum staff.
24:24
Go to the memorial wall where people have left mementos, thousands of them,
24:30
the wall has literally come alive.
24:32
I like to say during National Police Week where people remind you that these
24:36
are more than just names and numbers.
24:38
These are families that have been ripped apart by the loss of a loved
24:41
one, but they're truly treasured, the memories and truly honored.
24:46
pat, interestingly, you were talking there and I had so many
24:50
thoughts that came to mind.
24:51
Number one, I just wanted to make sure everybody saw a photograph of, the two
24:56
officers that were really helpful in, getting the unity tore off the ground.
25:01
that's Detective Frank Daley and Patrolman Robert Houtman.
25:05
they died in 1975 in a, plane crash.
25:09
They were on a reconnaissance mission looking for marijuana fields when
25:14
they're playing, experienced mechanical problems, and they crashed and died.
25:19
so those were the beginning, but, there was something else when you were talking,
25:23
you were talking about how when you arrive at the memorial and how you've raised
25:28
$40 million to support the Memorial Fund and, I've said to some of my closest
25:33
friends, I've said, I. There was a survivor once who told me that, Craig,
25:38
I'm so glad that you remain, strong.
25:41
during our various ceremonies during National Police Week and throughout
25:45
the year, the candlelight vigil especially, she said, if, you break
25:49
down, we're, all gonna crumble because we're counting on you for some strength.
25:54
And, and yet I, I tell people that the only time I've ever lost it really, and
26:00
could not speak, because my, emotions got the best of me was, a couple
26:05
of years when the police Unity tour arrived in Washington at the memorial
26:09
and I watched these riders come in.
26:12
Their knees.
26:12
Many of them had, fallen, they were bleeding.
26:16
they were clearly exhausted from the trip, but when they arrived at the memorial,
26:21
it just, the looks on their faces, it, was, it just meant so much to them.
26:26
And then you, presented me with checks for, I don't know, it
26:29
started out with, $18,000, a thousand for each of the riders.
26:34
And like you said, it increased every year.
26:36
And I think the first year it got to be $600,000 a million dollars.
26:42
I just lost it.
26:43
I could not speak the fact that these men and women were doing so much to,
26:48
support the memorial and it meant so much to them that it truly touched
26:52
me and affected me in a good way.
26:55
and I'll always, remember tho those moments.
26:58
tell me about.
27:00
something that, that extraordinary really happened.
27:03
you expanded the Police Unity tour to Israel, and I happen to be on
27:08
that first trip with you, and I think it's, continued over the years.
27:12
help me, correct me if I'm wrong, but, it's an amazing thing that, the police in
27:18
Israel and the police here in the United States of America have really, found a
27:22
bond thanks to the Police Unity Tour.
27:24
How did that come about?
27:27
it's the most unique thing.
27:31
we have,
27:34
a member, Mike Sa, Fri, who, goes back and forth to Israel, is a deputy sheriff
27:41
here in, in new, in, New Jersey with the Essex County Sheriff's Department.
27:47
for many years he was going back and forth and, he was talking about this
27:52
ride and he had asked for, he had, Israeli, border patrol and other police
27:59
officers come visit him during this time.
28:01
And they were in Washington and they saw us come in.
28:04
They wanted to be involved.
28:05
And then, somehow, we were able to communicate and we
28:09
did, and they came with us.
28:11
And it was probably around, I would say 2000 and, I don't know, 10 would
28:17
be the first year that they came.
28:19
And then, as they started to come, more and more, riders wanted to come, and then
28:24
we started sending contingents over, to Israel as they were honoring our fall.
28:30
And we wanted to honor their, fallen.
28:34
And also they wanted to show what they did for us for nine 11.
28:37
'cause a lot of us here in the New Jersey and New York area were rescue
28:41
workers during nine 11 and realized they sacrificed not only of those
28:45
who died on that very tragic day, but those who suffer illnesses thereafter
28:50
and continue to be put on the wall.
28:52
So they wanted to, and of their own money, they over a couple million dollars, made
28:57
a monument and a memorial in Israel.
29:02
for our nine 11, rescue workers as well as those for the future names to go on.
29:09
It was very unique that year.
29:11
If I may say something personal, Craig was on the, our first inaugural ride.
29:16
It was so important for us to go over because we were gonna, for the first
29:19
time, be on the soil in Israel and ride our bicycles for those who died,
29:23
whether it was the police or the IDF or the military, or border patrol, whoever
29:29
it was in Israel, we wanted to do the same that they've been doing for us for
29:33
many, years By coming to our country and honoring our fallen, we wanted to
29:36
reciprocate and do something beautiful.
29:40
And we did.
29:40
So we traveled out there in 2015, the year that I was retiring.
29:46
during that period of time, we scheduled a bicycle ride and also many
29:50
types of, events that were gonna be going on during a period of 10 days.
29:54
during that timeframe, I suffered a massive heart attack and almost
29:58
died in the desert of o Faki.
30:00
I was saved by the gentleman by the name of Igal Lutz, and
30:04
Igal came with us from the very beginning and happened to be there.
30:08
And if I, if he didn't carry me out of the desert and get me into a Humvee and
30:11
get me to a hospital, I probably wouldn't be sitting on this podcast with you.
30:16
Amazing gentleman.
30:17
Being able to talk about the wonderful things the police Unity tour does and
30:21
what the memorial means to us all.
30:23
He gave me a second chance.
30:24
I changed my whole life.
30:25
After that, I became more.
30:28
Responsive to the little things and realizing that, I could
30:32
do more and why am I here?
30:34
And I was so thankful for that opportunity.
30:38
So when I said nothing's ever by accident in life, nothing is, the
30:42
growth of this organization, us going to, Israel or other countries,
30:48
England, who has their own ride.
30:50
More so in, a personal aspect where I fell in of Faki was about 8.5
30:57
kilometers from where Jesus was born.
31:01
I was next to the only tree that I, the only way I could describe where I fell.
31:05
We were riding bicycles in the desert that everybody thinks like this soft dust.
31:08
It's not soft dust.
31:09
It's like rock hard.
31:10
It, it's not you can't jump out of a plane like you see on TV and,
31:15
fall into the sand and be okay.
31:17
you fall into that, you're, it's like falling on concrete.
31:20
So when I had my heart attack, I rolled on my side and I'm looking
31:26
to the left northeast of me, and I'm looking up and I see this tree.
31:31
It's deformed, like.
31:35
Making a right hand turn.
31:36
I don't know what it was, but it was going, growing, maybe only 10 feet tall.
31:39
And it was the same tree that the thorns that were in Jesus' head,
31:43
and that's the tree that when I came back to show my wife where I fell and
31:47
being thankful that I am alive in 21 and 2021, I buried a heart next to
31:53
that tree explaining why I couldn't bury it because it was concrete sand.
31:58
So I put stones over it and he all asked me.
32:02
He says, what if someone takes it or picks it up or takes those stones away?
32:08
And I says, God bless them.
32:11
I hope they do.
32:12
I hope they get the same gift.
32:13
I've been given the opportunity to be around all of you and the opportunity
32:17
to be able to have a say in the world that I believe and love so much, and
32:21
that's the law enforcement community and the emergency services community.
32:26
Unfortunately, let me
32:27
add one thing to that story, pat.
32:29
And in typical male fashion, pat was refusing medical aid that day.
32:35
He, said he, yeah, I feel fine.
32:37
I'll be fine, no problem.
32:39
And, if anybody had listened to him, he wouldn't be with us here today.
32:43
But, that, that's a typical guy's response to a pretty, crisis situation.
32:50
and, none of us wanna admit when we have some medical issues.
32:55
let's talk about, memorable moments, in the ride.
33:00
you've been doing it now for, I guess this is your close to
33:03
your 28th, 29th year of riding.
33:06
I'll share one quick memory.
33:08
I have, I usually ride the first 20 or 30 miles in the old days with the police
33:13
Unity tour just to kick it off and get me pumped up for National Police Week and all
33:18
the ceremonies that are about to occur.
33:20
'cause it really does touch you.
33:22
And it's right after nine 11 and, we, wanted to go to ground zero
33:29
where, 71 officers died in the line of duty when, the terrorists
33:34
attacked, back on nine 11 2001.
33:38
And we, had closed off.
33:41
I say we, the police, in, their, amazing ability closed off the Holland Tunnel.
33:49
To get us from New Jersey into New York to ground zero.
33:53
And there's a lot of angry motorists probably that are still angry to
33:57
this day, but they closed it off so that hundreds of bicyclists, police
34:03
officers, survivors of the fallen could ride their bikes into ground zero.
34:07
And as I was entering Holland Tunnel.
34:10
to get to ground zero, I made a typical rookie mistake and I ran
34:15
over a grate that flattened my tire on my bike, and here I am.
34:20
I don't know how long the Hol Holland Tunnel is, but it seemed endless.
34:25
I'm riding my bike with a flat tire.
34:28
I was the last to arrive at ground zero.
34:30
But it was one of the most moving ceremonies, I've ever experienced
34:35
to be there while they were still doing the re recovery work.
34:39
and finding, remnants of bodies and, the smell I'll never forget.
34:46
but we had an amazing ceremony there of remembrance.
34:49
And Pat, I know you probably have a few memories like that stand out in
34:53
your mind over these last 30 years.
34:56
could you share a couple of 'em with us?
35:03
like I said, we brought other people from other countries and,
35:06
Craig was talking about being in New York, going through them.
35:10
the, tunnel was probably one of the most amazing things that it's 1.5
35:14
miles in, 1.5 miles out, three miles.
35:18
I've had the opportunity of doing it a couple of times and even
35:21
running through it thereafter.
35:22
September 11th, 2001.
35:27
But, we had ride, we had motorcycles from Italy, and,
35:33
you know how everybody wants to,
35:37
trade patches and trade uniform things off your uniform?
35:42
So we are getting, close to Washington DC Somebody comes up to me and says,
35:49
Hey, we have a little bit of a problem.
35:51
I said, what's the problem?
35:52
He says, the Italian officers don't have their address uniforms any longer.
35:56
I said, what happened to them?
35:59
And, nobody had an answer.
36:02
of course, at the end of the day, I grabbed the motor officers and I say,
36:06
Hey, what happened to your stuff?
36:10
And they said, New York.
36:13
I said, what?
36:13
They steal it?
36:14
They go, no, we gave it away.
36:16
I got a patch.
36:17
Like he got a patch.
36:18
He gave away a $400, dress blouse for the officers on the screen here.
36:23
You would say to yourself, you can't give that stuff away.
36:25
I was one of them.
36:26
They gave me one, which was nice, but you know that, that year.
36:31
everybody was in their dress blouses, but they were wearing their blue and
36:33
white unity tour jackets because they weren't, able to ride, with their
36:39
uniforms on because they gave 'em away.
36:43
And, the, things that happen on the tour or,
36:49
every year there's something amazing that happens in my, in, my
36:52
mind that is, is always memorable.
36:55
flagman and the school kids.
36:57
I, love that story.
36:59
I.
36:59
Say that again.
37:01
Flagman and the school children along the way.
37:04
to me that was one of the greatest things that these kids come out and Oh,
37:08
yeah.
37:08
Scott Hague actually went to the police academy with him.
37:11
we call him Batman.
37:13
that's his name.
37:14
And, and everybody calls him, the kids call him Flagman.
37:17
He gives out 5,000 flags.
37:20
To every kid that we, it's the most amazing thing.
37:22
If someone would tell me that people hate police officers,
37:24
I would tell you that's a lie.
37:26
That's media driven.
37:27
That's individual aspects or momentarily issues that go on around our country
37:33
that may a law enforcement may be involved in, and it may be negative.
37:36
When I travel through four states and one district, I watch people
37:40
slap pots and pans together.
37:42
This young man, Scott Hay, going from one side of the road to
37:46
the other, giving out flags.
37:48
High fiving children, teachers from schools that are coming out and waving.
37:53
The most important thing for everybody to realize from this podcast, and they're
37:57
asking me what I believe, and I believe that we are all together, the citizens,
38:01
law enforcement, emergency responders.
38:03
We see it when the chips are down, especially like September 11th
38:06
or whatever goes on in our world.
38:08
People care about us.
38:10
However, sometimes we're all misinformed about what truly goes
38:13
on during some of these incidences.
38:15
That's why, they go left or people wanna make us look bad.
38:18
So that's one of the things that I've always seen going on the ride
38:22
that makes me feel really special.
38:24
Makes me feel like these.
38:26
Individual groups of people that come out, they understand who we are.
38:29
We're going over a bridge.
38:30
It's so beautiful.
38:31
It looks like a sea of blue.
38:33
And then all of a sudden at the end of the bridge, there's people there.
38:35
How do they get there?
38:36
I don't know.
38:37
They're sitting there slinging pots and pans, big four by
38:41
eight sheets of, plywood.
38:42
They write things on it.
38:44
We love you, remember this?
38:46
Or they put a, the number of where their loved one is on the wall.
38:50
It.
38:50
It's just the emotion that drives people through and the stories.
38:55
There's no rank on this tour.
38:56
You, we could have a director of the FBI or the DEA or any of the federal agencies
39:02
or any of the local municipal county and state organ, law enforcement entities.
39:06
There's no rank.
39:08
You could be a one year patrolman talking to the director.
39:11
We want that to happen.
39:13
Like I said, it's not a demonstration.
39:16
To me, the greatest thing is, that we are not here to hold up signs saying,
39:21
here we are, and I, wanna say something that I don't want to be disrespectful.
39:26
Anybody can take a check and mail it or drive it to the person they're going to
39:33
give it to, but not everybody is going to be showing you who they really are.
39:39
The Unity Tour shows you who law enforcement really is through
39:42
weather, through emotion.
39:45
Through physical duress, through just the point of where you don't know
39:50
if you could make it or not, and you rely upon your partner to the left,
39:53
the right, the front, and behind you.
39:55
The miraculous things I see is that I watch a rider pointing out
40:00
a hole, so the person behind him or in front of him doesn't go into it.
40:03
I have someone pulling off to the side to make sure that they
40:06
help push somebody up a hill.
40:08
You want to succeed that has tried so hard, lost 35 pounds to be on this
40:13
ride, to be a part of what they feel to be the greatest thing in their career.
40:18
And that's, like I said earlier, it's on everybody's resume.
40:23
Why?
40:24
Because it's real.
40:26
It's believable, it's honest, and it's true.
40:30
And the greatest thing, Craig to think about it is that I have the
40:34
opportunity to be a part of it.
40:36
I may be the CEO and founder, but I am one spoke that creates 46
40:42
spokes in that wheel to make it be sound appropriate, true, and right.
40:48
I couldn't do this without the people.
40:50
Harry Phillips, Timmy Quinn, hundreds of people.
40:54
Gil Curtis.
40:56
Tina and, John Ganser, hundreds of people.
41:00
I don't want to just mention names, but I want to tell you that everybody
41:03
I've been surrounding around myself around has been nothing but the best of
41:09
the best in law enforcement, and being thankful to be a part of their lives to
41:13
me is the greatest gift God could give
41:15
me.
41:16
So Pat, just a couple of quick follow up questions from what
41:20
you were just describing.
41:21
So the first one would be.
41:23
So all these people come out and you say they're, they're banging
41:26
the pots and pans together, and then the plywood signs and whatnot.
41:31
Do they know you're coming because you take the exact same route
41:35
on the same date every year?
41:38
Number one question, is that, how they know you're coming and
41:41
the second In some cases, yes.
41:44
In some cases,
41:45
yes.
41:46
like anything else, the world has every, they're always spending money on
41:49
road construction, so we get detoured.
41:51
And the last minutes, we have to get permits for the streets.
41:54
We have to make sure that there's Porter John's in the areas where we take breaks.
41:58
And thank God for Target as a sponsor.
42:00
We use their locations as a part of our stops, which we stop every 25 miles to
42:07
make sure that we regroup and make sure that our riders are together and check
42:10
out their, physical and mental status.
42:14
yes.
42:15
The people along the route eventually know we're coming.
42:18
They don't know exactly.
42:19
Sometimes, we may deviate from those tour, those, road areas depending upon,
42:25
whether they're gonna be milling a street or they're gonna be putting in
42:28
any type of other street work going on.
42:31
But mostly we try to take relatively the same routes.
42:34
we permit them out and doing when we do, so that also alerts the
42:38
community and letting them know that we're gonna be coming through.
42:42
And the other thing is that, like I said earlier, we try not to task
42:45
the agencies that we go through.
42:47
Some towns are very small popula with law enforcement,
42:51
not like huge thousand members.
42:53
Some of them may have only 25, 30.
42:55
Officers, and it may only be allowed to have one when, if, when we come through
42:58
with thousands of riders, that's wow.
43:02
and we don't want to create a detriment.
43:06
we coordinate with them.
43:07
So again, by us coordinating with those smaller entities, I. Those communities
43:12
put it out to their citizens to let them know we're coming through so that they can
43:16
detour and have the ability to go to work.
43:19
Because unfortunately, we've stopped weddings sometimes for a little while.
43:24
people getting ready to go to school as teachers and sometimes these are wonderful
43:27
notes I received there after the ride.
43:29
And we hope that, we're able to send something back.
43:32
And 90% of the time we're the people that we upset them in that way.
43:35
They, at the end of whatever they write us, they always say, we
43:38
understand what you're trying to do.
43:40
I just wanted to be heard.
43:41
And for those who are listening on, for this podcast, who that has been
43:45
a part of their life, each may as we travel through their communities, I
43:48
want to say thank you for your patience.
43:50
And I wanna say thank you for being a part of the opportunity to see
43:53
a ride that honors our fallen.
43:55
And we'll never forget the 24,000 plus names that are on that wall.
44:00
Exactly.
44:01
So the other part of the question here is you hit on it briefly
44:05
about what does each rider bring.
44:08
So is each rider responsible?
44:11
I. For bringing in the funds, each person individually goes out and raises
44:16
money on behalf of the whole group.
44:18
Yeah.
44:19
Each rider is, raises raises $2,100.
44:22
we guarantee $1,000 to the memorial each year.
44:25
The other is the cost to get that rider there, insurances and everything else
44:29
to make sure that, they're safe, the food and all the things necessary.
44:34
For, that rider to, get to Washington, DC
44:40
we raised in the last couple of years, each year, around 2.1 million to 2.3
44:46
million to, staying above the, north of 2 million as we've been raising
44:51
over the last eight, nine years now.
44:56
Amazing.
44:57
I told you about, how it affects me when I see these checks.
45:01
who gives you a check for over $2 million every year for the last 10 or so years?
45:07
it's totally incredible.
45:10
One of the things, and we'll close it out here with a couple quick questions,
45:14
but first I want you to tell everybody, you probably got some people excited
45:18
about maybe becoming part of the Police Unity tour, either as a writer or.
45:24
A support crew member, but also maybe people that just wanna send a donation
45:28
to help support such a worthy cause.
45:31
where can they go for more information?
45:33
I.
45:34
Yes, we have, all different, social media, opportunities for people.
45:40
Our, website is probably the clearest place to go to, www.PoliceUnityTour.com,
45:46
that will direct every person to where they have to go.
45:49
It also will give you the opportunity, they'll take a look at the other
45:52
chapters, if that is closer in your venue.
45:55
New Jersey, chapter one.
45:57
maybe.
45:59
Not able for you to make that ride there, but you wanted to go from the
46:02
Virginia ride or, from the Philly ride, depending upon where we're coming from.
46:08
So the best place to, to do that would be, on our website, but it'll also
46:14
show you our other socials, whether it's YouTube, whether it's, Patreon,
46:18
whether it happens to be all the different socials, Facebook, TikTok,
46:22
all the different, variables for any.
46:25
Person to take a look.
46:26
So we make sure that we hit all the age groups from 18 all the way
46:31
up to, retirees and thereafter.
46:35
So we have that ability to reach that.
46:38
and I forgot I'd be remiss to say something that really, and Craig, you
46:41
had asked what was something wonderful on a ride that really struck you watching
46:46
generations of law enforcement officers, my closest friend, Harry Phillips,
46:51
watching him and his son ride up the hill.
46:54
In New Jersey, and I had to, I could barely keep my eyes dry.
46:59
his son became a cop.
47:00
they're after him.
47:01
They both were cops at the same time.
47:04
And, to watch the generation, go from father to son and then to hear people to
47:11
say, I have, my son and now my grandson.
47:16
And to me, I had the opportunity of having my son before he was deployed.
47:21
He's a Marine, and he came on the tour with us too.
47:25
So the honor to see a generational thing, to hear the word 30
47:28
or to hear the numbers, 29 or 30 years, something going on.
47:33
And Craig, I gotta say to you, a long time ago we said, what makes this happen?
47:37
And the best thing is it's believable, believability.
47:40
I. People honor and respect things when they believe in it, and that's when we
47:45
see what crisis does It need to be around the world for everybody to get together.
47:48
We don't need a crisis.
47:51
All the things that we see around us is interpretations of different media people.
47:56
To me, I stayed focused, like I said, after 2015.
47:59
My heart attack, I focus on not the negative.
48:02
I focus on how to create the picture that I hope to see, am
48:07
honored to see and desire to see.
48:10
I.
48:12
Hey, pat, you've done it my friend.
48:14
This is, what an amazing, visit we've had with you.
48:18
You've been very generous with your time and your wonderful stories,
48:22
and, I can't thank you enough.
48:24
I. On behalf of Heroes Behind the Badge for joining us.
48:27
I also thank you for your service and thanks for sharing
48:32
all your amazing stories.
48:33
There's a quote that I'd like to close with that I remember.
48:36
I'm not sure who said it, but I think it's appropriate to describe
48:41
you and your organization.
48:43
The quote goes like this, those who cannot forget are as heroic.
48:48
As those who cannot remember, you are truly a hero behind the badge you're
48:55
making sure that we will never forget.
48:58
And we thank you for that.
48:59
Thanks for being our guest.
49:00
Thank you.
49:02
I appreciate that's Pat, very much appreciate,
49:05
we appreciate you my friend.
49:07
I gotta add one thing.
49:08
If we didn't have Craig Floyd with his push and tenacity for
49:12
that memorial to be a reality.
49:14
It still wouldn't be there, Agreed.
49:17
I'll say the memorial
49:18
and the museum.
49:19
Let's figure museum.
49:20
Roger that.
49:21
Roger that.
49:21
But
49:23
the biggest hurdle was that having that memorial originally, it was many
49:28
years we had it without the museum.
49:30
and willingly, I always say, it should have been there years ago.
49:34
we're a living memorial.
49:36
But I would be remiss if I didn't say that, there was a lot of
49:41
opportunities to say we can't do it.
49:43
Yeah,
49:44
but there was always the one voice that was coming from, and that was
49:49
Craig's making sure that we did.
49:50
So I wanna say thank you for honoring my brothers and sisters and
49:53
thank you for being a part of our partnership and to this very day,
49:56
what you're trying to accomplish.
49:58
And that is to be a part of something greater than us all, and that's
50:01
to remember respect and honor those who honor and respect us.
50:06
So thank you.
50:07
it couldn't be said any better, my friend.
50:09
And, again, your words and your actions, do a lot to show us who you are and
50:16
we appreciate you and all you do.
50:18
My honor.
50:19
that's gonna wind it up for this episode of Heroes Behind the Badge.
50:24
we tell real stories about real cops.
50:28
We expose the fake news about the police, and we give you.
50:32
The Real Truth.
50:33
This podcast is brought to you by Citizens Behind the Badge, the leading
50:37
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50:41
Find out how you can join hundreds of thousands of Americans already lending
50:46
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50:51
That's Citizens Behind the Badge.org.
50:55
And don't forget, hit follow, subscribe, and On the app that you're listening
51:00
to us on or watching us on, make sure you'll be the first to know.
51:05
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51:09
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51:12
Stay tuned for new episodes of Heroes Behind the Badge.