Two South Carolina law enforcement officers honored a fallen State Transport Police officer during National Police Week events in Washington, D.C., this week.
Retired Lieutenant Russell Thompson, of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, was among more than 2,000 cyclists participating in the Police Unity Tour. The annual bike ride in memory of fallen law enforcement officers covers 250 miles in three days, and culminates with National Police Week festivities at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“To those watching, it may appear to be only physical activity, but there is so much more,” said Thompson, who first participated in the bike ride in 2014. “Each year, the riders of the Police Unity Tour carry the names and memories of our fallen to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. With over 24,000 officers’ names on the memorial, it is our duty to ensure that their sacrifices are never forgotten.”
Many cyclists rode in honor of coworkers who died in the line of duty, while others had no personal tie to the officer they were honoring, aside from being a fellow officer.
“While I may not have personally known Officer Reynolds, many of the STP officers I have worked with did,” Thompson said. “We both worked for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.”
Lieutenant Brady Branham, of the SC Department of Natural Resources, had never met Reynolds either until the training exercise last September, during which Reynolds collapsed after suffering a medical emergency. He later died at the hospital, tragically becoming the first STP officer to die in the line of duty. This week, Branham ran the National Police Week 5K in Washington, D.C, in honor of his fallen South Carolina brother while attending the FBI National Academy.
“A good many in our class participated in the 5K,” said Branham, an 18-year veteran of DNR. “We signed up individually, and there’s an option to run in memory of a fallen officer. When I saw that, I thought Mark would be a great one to run in memory of.”
Around 1,500 people ran the 3.1-mile race, with another 600 participating virtually, Branham said. This was his first time participating in the run or the National Police Week festivities.
“It’s very surreal,” he said. “They had a police department’s bagpipe band playing when we started the race and at the finish line.”
As he was running, Branham thought about the spouses and children of the fallen officers who are in Washington this week. But, he said, the amount of support for them is overwhelming.
“Every corner you turn, every sidewalk you walk on, you see other members of law enforcement from all over the world,” he said. “It’s surreal and humbling to see the amount of support for these fallen officers and their families.”
For Thompson, riding in the Police Unity Tour each year is a way to carry on the names of the officers who died in the line of duty, not just last year, but all years prior.
“Every man has two deaths,” he said. “When he is buried in the ground, and the last time someone says his name. Through this ride, we’ll keep saying and carrying their names.”
