PPD's Philipps: Why I Ride

For the sixth straight year, Deputy Chief Paul Philipps will be among the local law enforcement officers taking to the streets on bikes for the , which honors the memory and sacrifices of fallen police officers. The fundraising event, which starts in Florham Park and ends in Washington, D.C., kicks off Wednesday morning.

And Philipps said the community's help is crucial.

"Team Parsippany is still short," he told Patch. "Each officer must raise $1,750. We really want to encourage more donations."

The tour team consists of 14 members, including 10 Parsippany officers and support staffers, two officers from Mountain Lakes and two representatives of the FBI. 

Founded in 1997, the Police Unity Tour is a four-day bicycle ride from New Jersey to Washington D.C. to raise awareness of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Funds raised by the event is used to maintain and expand the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in the nation's capital.

The Police Unity Tour takes place during National Police Week, when new names are added to the Memorial's walls. Newly engraved names are formally dedicated during a candlelight vigil on May 13, as part of the observance. Approximately 20,000 people attend the event each year.

The event carries much meaning, said Philipps, who takes the tour's motto—"We ride for those who died"—to heart. The deputy chief shared memories of those officers for whom he rides, and of the families left behind that he has come to know and, at his own expense, still visits.

Officer Landon Dorris

The first year I participated in the Police Unity Tour was 2007 and I rode in honor of Officer Landon Dorris who served with the Los Angeles Police Department for three and a half years and had previously served for six years with the California Highway Patrol. He is survived by his wife, two children, mother, and two sisters.

Landon was struck by a vehicle while conducting a traffic accident investigation on Oct. 22, 2006. He was seriously injured and taken to University of Southern California Medical Center, where he died several hours later. I was nearly killed in similar circumstances years ago, that’s why I wanted to ride for him.

I had a bracelet with his name made. It was supposed to be given to his widow during the candlelight vigil in Washington, D.C., after the ride, but I didn't get the chance to meet her or Landon’s two little boys. That always bothered me because I’ve formed relationships with the families of all the other officers that I’ve ridden for. While looking for Landon’s name among the thousands of names on the wall, I heard a little boy of about four ask, “Mommy, where is Daddy’s name?” It broke my heart.

Officer Lisa Beaulieu

In 2008, I rode for Officer Lisa Beaulieu of the Beaumont (Texas) Police Department. Lisa was killed by a drunk driver on April 27, 2007. Having learned by my mistake in not contacting Landon Dorris’ family before the 2007 tour, I called the Beaumont Police and spoke with Lisa’s partner, Det. Tina Prichard. Tina put me in touch with Lisa’s mom, Gloria Prince. 

As luck would have it, I called Gloria on March 6. That would have been Lisa’s 37th birthday. Gloria told me how much it meant to her to have this stranger, me, call her from New Jersey to ask about her little girl on that sad birthday.

Deputy Sheriff William Howell Jr.

In 2009, I rode for Deputy Sheriff William Howell Jr. of the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina. William was responding to a domestic disturbance on May 3, 2008. A backup deputy was there within 30 seconds, but not before Howell was shot and killed. 

William went to the door to assist the wife in leaving the home; [her 20-year-old husband] pulled out a shotgun and shot Howell point blank. William died on the spot. The suspect was out on bond for assault and battery with intent to kill at the time of the shooting. 

Deputy Howell was the father of three children.

Officer Richard Scott Crittenden Sr.

In 2010, I rode for Officer Richard Crittenden, who was shot and killed after he and another officer responded to a domestic disturbance call.

A male subject had gone to the female subject's apartment in violation of a protection order. Officer Crittenden and an officer from the Maplewood Police Department arrived,and as they were conducting an investigation, the suspect attacked the female. Rich attempted to protect the woman, and during a struggle the suspect was able to gain controlof his service weapon. The suspect then opened fire, striking Officer Crittenden, who was fatally wounded. The Maplewood officer suffered a gunshot wound to her wrist,but was able to return fire and kill the suspect.

Officer Crittenden had served with the North St. Paul Police Department for nine years, had previously served with the Wabasha County Sheriff's Office for four years, and hadserved in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. He was the first North St. Paul Police officer killed in the line of duty.

Officers who ride in the Police Unity Tour are given the privilege of escorting the families of fallen officers to their seats on the night of the candlelight vigil. I happened to be there when Rich’s family arrived and escorted them to their seats. The chances of my being there at just that moment are astronomical.

During that same candlelight vigil, I met a Los Angeles police officer, Tracy Fields, who was also escorting survivors. I told her about how disappointed I was by not meeting Landon Dorris’ family. Tracy knew them and put me in touch with Landon’s widow, Marisabel. That June I was in Las Vegas for the Kiwanis convention, so I decided to meet Marisabel and her little boys, Landon Jr. and Brendon, at Disneyland.

Officer Justin Wayne McGrory

The day before the Disneyland trip, I drove toward Los Angeles on Interstate 15 early on the morning of June 27 and was stuck in traffic for hours. When I got to Barstow I found that the traffic jam was due to a young California Highway Patrol officer, Justin McGrory, being killed by a drunk. Here I was going to meet the family of a former CHP officer, killed by a car, when another CHP officer is killed on the same highway I’m traveling. Furthermore the man who killed Justin was driving under the influence, just like the drivers who hit Lisa Beaulieu in 2007 and me in 1984. So I decided to ride for Justin in the 2011 Police Unity Tour. 

Justin’s wife Kelly gave birth to their fourth child, a healthy baby girl, a month after he was killed. Kelly and her four children were at the Memorial when the tour arrived on May 12, 2011.

On the Thursday before we left on the 2011 ride, I learned that Bob McGrory, the father of Officer Justin McGrory and a retired CHP lieutenant, was also riding in the Police Unity Tour. He was with me on the first day of the ride May 9, 2011 and at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on May 13, 2011.

Deputy Sheriff Josie Greathouse Fox

In 2011, I also rode in honor of Deputy Sheriff Josie Greathouse Fox of the Millard County Sheriff's Office in Utah. Josie Fox was shot and killed while attempting to stop a vehicle connected to a car theft investigation.

Deputy Fox's sergeant had spotted two vehicles wanted in connection with the investigation and called for backup. The sergeant followed one vehicle while Deputy Fox followed the second. A short time later Deputy Fox requested backup after stopping the vehicle on Highway 50, near Delta. When her sergeant arrived, he found her suffering from a gunshot wound to her neck, just above her vest.

The suspect, who fled the scene in the vehicle, was identified as an illegal alien who had already been deported but had returned to the U.S. He and a second suspect were apprehended the following morning by members of the Beaver County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Deputy Fox had served with the Millard County Sheriff's Office for five years. She is survived by her husband and two children.

Officer Filberto (Fil) Henry Cuesta, Jr.

Officer Filberto Cuesta Jr. saved the life of a young gang member who, months later, ambushed and killed him. Officer Cuesta had served with the Los Angeles Police Department for four years. He is survived by his wife and two tiny daughters. [In another coincidence, Deputy Chief Philipps met Cuesta's widow Sylvia through the widow of Officer Landon Dorris.]

The young officer and the thug who killed him both had babies that were about the same age. While the murderer was permitted to have his baby in the courtroom, and thus elicit sympathy, Fil's wife Sylvia was denied the same privilege because lawyers said it may have been prejudicial to the defendant. The man who killed Fil got life in prison. 

When Fil was murdered in 1998, the tour was new and didn’t have enough participants to ride for every officer. As a result, no one had ever ridden in Fil’s honor. I promised Sylvia that I would!

Two important events occurred in the fall of 2011. First on Sept. 15, the Los Angeles Police Department had its inaugural Purple Heart Ceremony. Both Officers Fil Cuesta and Landon Dorris were honored along with dozens of other LAPD officers who had been killed or seriously injured on duty. Then on Oct. 22, the fifth anniversary of Officer Dorris’s last watch, he was remembered with a celebration of his life. I had the honor of attending both events.

Police Officer Bryan Mitchell Hebert

Late in July 2011, Lisa Beaulieu’s mom, Gloria Prince, called me from Texas. Tragically on the evening of July 8, 2011, Beaumont lost another officer. Like Lisa, Officer Bryan Mitchell Hebert was killed by a car. However, in Bryan’s case, it was no accident—the driver killed him intentionally! 

Other officers had initiated the pursuit of a man wanted for assaulting his mother and grandmother. Officer Hebert had stopped his patrol car at an intersection. He was removing a reflective vest and stop sticks from his trunk when the suspect veered from the travel lane and struck his car head-on. The collision knocked the patrol car into Officer Hebert, who was still standing behind it.

Officer Hebert had served with the Beaumont Police Department for 10 years. He is survived by his parents, sister, and grandparents. Gloria asked me to ride for Bryan in the next Police Unity Tour. Of course, I’m honored to be asked. I’m sure that, as it was with Lisa, meeting Bryan’s friends and family in Washington, D.C., will be a bittersweet experience.

Why I Ride

The eight officers I have ridden for have left behind a total of 17 children—children who have lost a mother or father. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial means a lot to them and thousands like them. The Memorial is a tangible link between them and their missing mother or father. It is a way for us to show them that their parent’s service and sacrifice is honored and remembered and that their loved one will be remembered.

That’s why I’m proud to be one of the officers participating in this year’s Police Unity Tour and to support the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

If you would like to donate to the cause, drop off or send a check payable to "Police Unity Tour" to Deputy Chief Paul Philipps' attention at Parsippany Police Headquarters, 3339 Route 46, Parsippany, N.J. 07054.