HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - The Hollywood Police Department hosted its annual Memorial Motorcycle Ride in collaboration with the 9463 Foundation.
Dozens of people gathered Sunday morning to kick off the annual tradition.
The event honors Florida law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities.
Hollywood Police lost three officers in 2021 alone.
Officer Yandy Chirino was shot and killed after he responded to reports of a suspicious person in Hollywood’s Emerald Hills neighborhood, Oct. 17.
Hours later, Lt. John Graham reportedly took his own life in the parking lot of the Broward Mall in Plantation.
Officials said Hollywood Police detective Jon Cooke died in July from complications as a result of catching COVID-19 in the line of duty.
“John, Jon and Yandy, we will never forget you, and your service to this community will never be forgotten,” said a speaker at a ceremony held before the start of the ride.
The Hollywood Police Department Motor Unit escorted the motorcycle ride to Interstate 95 at around 11 a.m. to honor a total of 12 fallen officers in Florida.
The ride continues up the east coast of Florida. The motorcyclists will take the next week to stop at each department in the state that lost a brother or sister from their force.
“This is very important. The families that we ride for and we meet every day [are] unbelievably grateful and humbled by our efforts, that somebody they don’t know, never met, their fallen loved ones never met, would ride a motorcycle across the state of Florida for a few minutes, to have a lunch or breakfast with their family members to remember their loss,” said Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brian Donnelly.
The 9463 Foundation is an organization whose mission is to remember fallen officers while also supporting their grieving families.
“This is a great honor by the 9463 Foundation, the way they come together and honor all the families of the officers lost,” said Hollywood Police Assistant Chief Jeff Devlin. “It means the world to us, bringing the community together, bringing everybody together. The support is just unbelievable.”
The annual event began after the line-of-duty death of BSO Deputy Sgt. Chris Reyka in 2007. The tradition continues nearly 15 years later for officers whose memories will last a lifetime.
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