OAKLAND CITY, IN (WFIE) -
More than 50 law enforcement officers are on a 13-day bike trip around the State of Indiana.
The group is raising money to help the families of fallen officers, and on Monday, the group was in Princeton.
They met with a woman who lost her husband in the line of duty, the officer being Oakland City's Mike Deno.
"Mike was shot on February 28, 2000. He made a traffic stop and the guy shot him in the head and left him there," said Cindy Walker.
It's been 12 years since Cindy Walker lost her 24-year-old husband, and she'll never forget the pain.
"Mike and I were high school sweethearts and it was hard. He was taken in an instant. It was really hard to get through every day," Walker said.
The one thing helped Walker was this group called Concerns of Police Survivors.
For the 10th year, law enforcement officers from Indiana are riding to raise money for the organization.
"Families along the way that we meet, they really appreciate us remembering them," said EPD Detective Jack Spencer.
"We're just a constant reminder every year as we make our way around the state to make communities stop and think about the officers who have given their lives in the line of duty," said ISP Master Trooper Rich Crawford.
This year's ride started in Indianapolis and will finish there July 21.
At the finish line, the group plans to present an estimated $40,000 check to the Indiana Chapter of the Concerns of Police Survivors.
The money will go toward things like counseling for families of fallen officers.
The gift Walker received that she will never forget.
"It means a lot to survivors what the cyclists do. I mean they take them form their families, their kids, their spouses and they come out and try to raise money for the survivors. Hopefully their families don't have to go through what we have had to go through," Walker said.
The group lost two of their own during this annual ride after a vehicle accident in 2006. The members ride in honor of them as well.
The group is expected in Huntingburg on Tuesday.
For more information about Cops Cycling for Survivors, check out these links.
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Source: Sue Ellen Parker
