Officers from the Westfield and Springfield police departments will be on hand at the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial at the State House in Boston when the inscribed names of Officer Jose Torres and Officer Kevin Ambrose are unveiled in a ceremony on Sept. 21.
WESTFIELD – A host of bicyclists will leave Springfield Sept. 21 and head toward the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial on the grounds of the Massachusetts State House at Ashburton Park in Boston to honor two fallen area police officers, Officer Jose Torres of the Westfield Police Department and Kevin Ambrose of the Springfield Police Department.
Torres died in July, 2012, when he was struck by a dump truck at a road construction site and Ambrose was shot when he responded to a domestic disturbance in June of that year.
Officers from both departments will be working to raise funds for the continuing costs of maintaining the monument and the park it is located in and the Ride to Remember, which will culminate with a ceremony at monument to unveil the names of the two officers which will have been added to the roster of about 260 fallen officers memorialized on the monument.
Before the ride, officers from both departments will stage events to raise funds of the monument’s maintenance.
The first event to support the Ride to Remember in Westfield will be on Sunday at Amelia Park.
The park has donated a two hour block of ice time from 2-4 p.m. in honor of the two officers and participants, for a $10 donation at the door, will get rental skates, time on the ice and a snack.
In addition, a variety of items donated by supporters will be offered in a raffle.
On the following Tuesday, May 21, Springfield police have arranged a “Celebrity Waiter Night” at Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant in West Springfield.
Officers from both departments will serve as waiters starting at 5:00 p.m. at the 847 Riverdale Road restaurant and the management will contribute 15 per cent of the evening’s receipts to the Ride to Remember donation.
Westfield Det. Roxanne Bradley said she would be among the “celebrity” servers and said that she is a veteran of an earlier similar fundraiser at the Ninety Nine restaurant in West Springfield.
“We had a great time” she said and predicts a great time will be had at Bertucci’s too.
She said that a similar event is planned in Westfield at 7B’s Bar and Grill on Southampton Road on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Sgt. John M. Delaney of the Springfield department reports that the bikers will be escorted by police motorcycle outriders when they leave Springfield on Sept. 21 on Route 20 and in Hopkinton will pick up the Boston Marathon route into the city.
Also in Hopkinton, the motorcycle escort is scheduled to be augmented by a State Police helicopter escort to the State House where the riders are expected to arrive in time for a ceremony to unveil the two new names on the monument.
