‘Cops Cycling’ honor Bollman, family

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LAPEL — They will not be forgotten.

That holds true not only for those who lost their lives but also for those who survive.

Cops Cycling for Survivors began its 2019 13-day bicycle tour on Monday.

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The annual bicycle tour through Indiana raises awareness of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. It also raises funds to be used to support the survivors left behind.

The second stop on this year’s tour was in Lapel in memory of Ed Bollman, a 15-year Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officer who died in February 2018 in an ice-fishing accident. He was trying to save a friend who suffered a heart attack.

The ride started in Indianapolis on Monday morning. Lebanon was the group’s first stop to honor Boone County Deputy Jacob Pickett; riders arrived at Brookside Cemetery in Lapel for a vigil at Bollman’s gravesite at about 4 p.m. The riders stayed the night at Lapel Middle School before heading to Bluffton for Day 2.

Other stops include Angola, Mishawaka, Merrillville, Kentland, Terre Haute, Princeton, Huntingburg, Jeffersonville, Madison and Bloomington, before the group heads back to Indianapolis.

The annual ride is in its 18th year; during this year’s ride there will be memorials for five officers killed in 2018.

Kevin Getz, an Indiana State Police detective who is doing the ride for the 13th time this year, is one of 48 officers from across the state who rode to Brookside Cemetery on Monday.

“So often a law enforcement funeral is very public, and then when the funeral is over with everyone goes on with their lives, but that family has to live on without their officer coming home, whether it’s a father, mother, brother or sister,” Getz said. “Our pledge to our survivors is that we will never forget them and we will never forget their officer.”

Getz said each rider is obligated to raise money for each day they ride. That money is funneled to scholarships and foundations named after fallen officers.

Any officer killed in the line of duty will be honored on the ride, Getz said. The yearly route remains consistent, but is tailored around stops to honor officers and meet with families and agencies effected.

A truck that leads the route for the bikers has photos depicting each of the officers to be honored on the ride.

“I think it’s important for our citizens and our communities to see who these officers were,” Getz said. “These officers gave their lives to protect their communities, state and nation. It’s important that people see a face, not just a name. It’s a family member and someone who was loved that is not coming home.”

Belinda Bollman, widow of Ed Bollman, said about 25 family members attended Monday’s ceremony at Brookside Cemetery.

“I don’t know how people get through loss without all of the support,” she said. “I feel very honored that they made their stop here for the night and we get a chance to socialize with them. To take time out of their lives for two weeks, it’s a big sacrifice for them.”

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