Residents of Fayette County Saturday morning will see a procession that includes a very large number of law enforcement vehicles and motorcycles. The procession for the Georgia Police Memorial Ride will begin at the state Capitol and arrive at Falcon Field in Peachtree City shortly after noon.
“What can bring over 250 marked Police motorcycles, cars and specialized units leading over 2,000 bikers to a quiet family picnic and program? It’s the Georgia Police Memorial Ride,” said Ed Christian, president of the Blue Knight Chapter 7 group that is sponsoring the event. “The ride is to honor the loss of a coworker, spouse, mother, father, son or daughter. The State of Georgia has lost over 600 Officers killed in the line of duty. We will honor that friend and coworker who died because he simply came to work that day. The ride is a thank-you from your communities to a family and department who feel a deep void and are searching for a reason why. You, the communities that all law enforcement serves, are that reason and the Georgia Police Memorial Ride will be the day to show them how you feel.”
The ceremony at Falcon Field will also be a time to honor Palmetto Police Sgt. Lee Gragg, who was severely injured in a incident on Sept. 12, 2009. While attempting to subdue a driver at a roadcheck, Gragg was thrown off-balance and into the back of the convertible as the driver sped off. Three hundred yards later, the fleeing driver crashed into a brick mailbox, which flipped the car and killed him instantly. Sgt. Gragg was ejected from the vehicle and thrown 20 feet in the air. He broke his back, 17 bones in his face and jaw, suffered a brain injury and lost his left eye as a result.
Gragg has resumed part-time police duties after four months of recovery.
The large contingent of law enforcement vehicles and motorcycles will begin the morning transit around 11 a.m., circling the State Capitol then proceeding south into Clayton and Fayette counties along the entire length of Ga. Highway 314. The procession is expected to arrive in Fayette County at approximately 11:45 a.m. The vehicles will then travel south on Ga. Highway 85, turn north onto Ga. Highway 74 and on to TDK Boulevard, arriving at Falcon Field at around 12:15 p.m.
Ride participants will have lunch and begin the program at 1:15. The program will honor the families of all Georgia Law Enforce Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
