03-30-2009, 09:57 PM
Motorcycle ride honoring Capt. Scott Bierwiler's memory attracts about 250
BROOKSVILLE
They arrived on two wheels to honor a man they knew to be a hero. Cops, retired cops and just plain bikers.
By early Saturday afternoon, the parking lot at Adventure Cycle Center on Cortez Boulevard looked like the kind of party that Capt. Scott Bierwiler would have loved to attend.
To many in the crowd, he was there.
"You can feel his spirit," said Frank Bierwiler Jr., brother of the 23-year veteran of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office who was killed Feb. 19 in an early morning head-on collision on his way to work. "Scott was riding with us today."
Organized by the Police Unity Tour, Florida Chapter VIII, the memorial ride in Capt. Bierwiler's honor left Brandon early Saturday, winding through city streets and country roads until it reached its Brooksville destination.
Hernando sheriff's Deputy Artie Waskey, who along with fellow Deputy Joe Reid put the event together, said that it attracted about 250 participants, many more than organizers expected for their first effort.
"The show of support we've had by everyone has been wonderful," Waskey said. "I think it says a lot about how the community felt about this man and the things he did for the citizens he served."
Proceeds from the ride will go toward the annual Police Unity Tour, a 250-mile bicycle trek by law enforcement officers from Portsmouth, Va., to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor their fallen comrades. According to Waskey, Bierwiler's name will be added to the memorial next year.
"He was the kind of law enforcement officer that all of us want to be," said Waskey, who worked in the patrol division under Bierwiler's command.
Although the motorcycle ride was planned months ago, Waskey said Bierwiler's death prompted him and other organizers to make the event a salute to the memory of their late colleague.
Getting help from the community wasn't a problem.
Sponsorships came from businesses such as Pizza Villa, Perez and Holderman, and Joni Industries. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 164 chipped in for supplies and helpers to stage a barbecue for participating riders and guests. Other local companies offered goods and services for raffles.
The ride itself attracted about 25 Hernando deputies and their families, plus a number of riders from other Tampa Bay-area law enforcement agencies. Waskey said knowing that a great number of participants might disrupt traffic, organizers decided to split the ride into small groups rather than maneuver en masse to their destination.
Hernando Deputy Steve Klapka said the event reminded him of how much he missed his colleague, who was an avid motorcycle rider.
"Something like this helps to heal our loss," Klapka said. "It gives us a chance to give a little something back, just like Scott would have done."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article988047.ece
BROOKSVILLE
They arrived on two wheels to honor a man they knew to be a hero. Cops, retired cops and just plain bikers.
By early Saturday afternoon, the parking lot at Adventure Cycle Center on Cortez Boulevard looked like the kind of party that Capt. Scott Bierwiler would have loved to attend.
To many in the crowd, he was there.
"You can feel his spirit," said Frank Bierwiler Jr., brother of the 23-year veteran of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office who was killed Feb. 19 in an early morning head-on collision on his way to work. "Scott was riding with us today."
Organized by the Police Unity Tour, Florida Chapter VIII, the memorial ride in Capt. Bierwiler's honor left Brandon early Saturday, winding through city streets and country roads until it reached its Brooksville destination.
Hernando sheriff's Deputy Artie Waskey, who along with fellow Deputy Joe Reid put the event together, said that it attracted about 250 participants, many more than organizers expected for their first effort.
"The show of support we've had by everyone has been wonderful," Waskey said. "I think it says a lot about how the community felt about this man and the things he did for the citizens he served."
Proceeds from the ride will go toward the annual Police Unity Tour, a 250-mile bicycle trek by law enforcement officers from Portsmouth, Va., to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor their fallen comrades. According to Waskey, Bierwiler's name will be added to the memorial next year.
"He was the kind of law enforcement officer that all of us want to be," said Waskey, who worked in the patrol division under Bierwiler's command.
Although the motorcycle ride was planned months ago, Waskey said Bierwiler's death prompted him and other organizers to make the event a salute to the memory of their late colleague.
Getting help from the community wasn't a problem.
Sponsorships came from businesses such as Pizza Villa, Perez and Holderman, and Joni Industries. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 164 chipped in for supplies and helpers to stage a barbecue for participating riders and guests. Other local companies offered goods and services for raffles.
The ride itself attracted about 25 Hernando deputies and their families, plus a number of riders from other Tampa Bay-area law enforcement agencies. Waskey said knowing that a great number of participants might disrupt traffic, organizers decided to split the ride into small groups rather than maneuver en masse to their destination.
Hernando Deputy Steve Klapka said the event reminded him of how much he missed his colleague, who was an avid motorcycle rider.
"Something like this helps to heal our loss," Klapka said. "It gives us a chance to give a little something back, just like Scott would have done."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article988047.ece