SARATOGA SPRINGS — Blue Friday of New York will hold its 10th Annual Fallen Officers Memorial Ride on Saturday, Aug. 7.
This year’s 75-mile ride will honor two fallen officers – Detective Sergeant Randall French, Special Operations Section of the Troy Police Department and Corrections Officer Joseph A. Martini, Ulster County Sheriff’s Department.
The ride goes through five counties, starting at Spitzie’s on Central Avenue in Colonie. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and kickstands will go up at Noon. It is $20 per bike and passenger, all vehicles are welcome.
Additionally, at Nanola on Route 9 in Malta, there will be food and drink available for purchase, a 50/50 drawing, and raffles, and a stop at Adirondack Harley-Davidson in Broadalbin.
Awards will be given for Best Represented Blue Knights Chapter, Best Represented Police Motor Unit, and Best Represented Motorcycle Club.
Warren County Sheriff’s Department, New York State Police, Amsterdam Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will all aid in escorting the ride.
About Blue Friday
Blue Friday of New York, Inc. was formed in the Capital District in 2004 after two police officers in Albany and Schenectady lost their lives within a short span of time. Pat Fox, an Albany Police Officer at the time, started Blue Friday as a chapter of the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) after speaking to fellow police officers and other police unions, determining there was support and a need for this type of organization.
Their Mission Statement reads that Blue Friday of New York was “established to help assist the families of law enforcement officers who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty as well as the families of officers who have died outside the line of duty if needed. Our goal is to make sure the family knows that ‘They are not forgotten and they will never stand alone’.”
Blue Friday also provides the following resources: survivor victimization issues and grief counseling, assisting families attending the National Police Memorial in Washington, D.C., assisting law enforcement agencies or families in the paperwork process for a line of duty death, and training representatives of different law enforcement agencies on how to cope with and how to apply for the benefits for a line of duty death.
The last Friday in April is considered to be Blue Friday; a day set by the New York State Legislature each year to honor all law enforcement officers – those who have been killed in the line of duty and those still protecting and serving.
If you are interested in starting a Blue Friday event in your community or are interested in finding out more about the organization, visit Blue Friday of New York’s website, www.bluefridayny.org, or check out their Facebook page.
