Bloomingdale cops riding to remember Officer Raymond Murrell
Next May, fallen Bloomingdale Police Officer Raymond Murrell will have his name etched into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and his fellow Bloomingdale officers are making sure his family and the officers who were at the scene of his death will be there to pay tribute.
To raise money for the trip, the Bloomingdale Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 175 has organized the first Ride for Ray, a one-hour motorcycle ride through the suburbs to remember Murrell, a motorcycle enthusiast.
"I think it's pretty well known that Bloomingdale police officers are a very tight-knit family. And it's important for us to remember our fellow officer," said Officer Anthony Svoboda, who is organizing the event. "We hope this event helps keep his memory alive while also benefiting his family."
The ride, which is open to all vehicles, starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 8, at Heritage Harley Davidson, 2595 Ogden Ave., Lisle, and will return to the dealership by noon for music, prizes, food and drink.
"Ray loved riding motorcycles, and we invite all riders to join us on July 8 to honor his memory and support his family," Officer Tony Pagan said.
Registration is $30 for riders and $20 for passengers. Advance registration is available at rideforray.org. Participants may also register starting at 9:30 a.m. at the event.
The 27-year-old Murrell, labeled a "shining star" in the department, died from injuries he sustained about 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 in a one-vehicle crash at the intersection of Army Trail Road and Cardinal Avenue. Officials have said he was responding to a report of retail theft at a business on Army Trail Road when his police SUV crashed into a pole and utility box.
"The Bloomingdale Police Department will always honor and remember a fine officer who died doing the job he loved. This loss has impacted our department and the entire community," said Chief Frank Giammarese, who is participating in the ride. "This loss has reminded me how fragile life can be, especially those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice."
All proceeds from the event will assist Murrell's family and help pay for some of Murrell's fellow officers to attend a Washington, D.C., ceremony where his name will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall on May 15, 2018.
"Our goal is to have his fellow officers with him that night at the memorial when his name is deservingly put on the wall of fallen," Giammarese said.
The memorial, in the 400 block of E Street NW, Washington, D.C., is the nation's monument to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Dedicated on Oct. 15, 1991, the memorial honors federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our nation and its people, according to the memorial's website, nleomf.org.
It features two curving, 304-foot-long blue-gray marble walls inscribed with the names of more than 20,000 officers who have been killed in the line of duty throughout U.S. history, dating back to the first known death in 1791.