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  • Mt. Vernon Police Department officer Ray Gilbert, Bryan Zeller, Randy Rolley and MVPD officer Vic Koontz stand in front of an MVPD squad car Saturday. Rolley and Zeller are traveling to Santa Monica, Calif., and raising money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund on a trip called the “Relay for a Cause.” RORYE O’CONNOR/REGISTER-NEWS

    Police Week
May 6, 2010

Officers honored during Police Week

By RORYE O’CONNOR rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — One law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty every 53 hours, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Mt. Vernon elected officials and law enforcement officers are taking action to honor those who place themselves in harm’s way daily and those who have died in the line of duty.

Mayor Mary Jane Chesley made a proclamation designating the week of May 9 to be Police Week in Mt. Vernon.

The mayor’s statement acknowledged the danger police officers face on a daily basis and said the City of Mt. Vernon wants to honor its officers.

“The City Council of the City of Mt. Vernon ... does hereby proclaim the week of May 9 to be police week and call upon all our citizens in this community to especially honor and show our sincere appreciation for the police officers of this city by deed, remark and attitude to show their thanks to the individuals who make it possible for us to leave our homes and family in safety each day and to return to our homes knowing they are protected by individuals willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, to guard our loved ones, property and government against all who would violate the law,” the proclamation states.

Mt. Vernon police are also trying to raise awareness by helping two cross-country travelers get to their next stop.

Randy Rolley, a 27-year member of the Evansville, Ind., Police Department, and his best friend, Evansville, Ind., business owner Bryan Zeller, are backpacking from Evansville to Santa Monica, Calif., using historic Route 66.

“It started out, we both turned 50 and we wanted to do something,” Rolley said. “We were actually going to hitchhike, but as that’s illegal, we decided if we were going to do something like this, we should do it for a good cause.”

Rolley and Zeller will walk an average of 18 miles a day, and 26 cooperating law enforcement agencies across their route will shuttle them by squad car to the point each day where they will begin walking, Rolley said.

Mt. Vernon was the travelers’ first stop after leaving Evansville Saturday.

Rolley said though he hasn’t personally experienced the loss of a fellow officer, he was shocked by how many agencies he contacted had.

“19 of the 26 hosting parties have had an officer killed in the line of duty,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

The two men are updating their progress on a Facebook cause page, which can be found by searching for “Relay for a Cause,” and on a blog at http://relayroute66.wordpress.com.

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