For the first time ever, police officers from United States, who have been a part of the annual Policy Unity Tour, will bicycle with their counterparts in India. The theme of the march: We ride for those who died.
The idea for the India tour was mooted by the New Jersey-based International Gujarati Forum which has sponsored the weeklong event with the help of the Gujarat government.
Fifty US nationals from across America will be joined by 50 police officers in Gujarat and the week-long events in the second week of January 2011 will include journeys of some 80 kms (50 miles) to the places associated with Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi.
In America, the annual march is used to commemorate the officers slain in the course of duty, and create awareness among the public for the work the police officers do, said Harry E Phillips, the executive director of Policy Unity Tour. And the Indian march also has a similar agenda, he said.
"Police officers are police officers no matter where they are," he said. "They take big risks for public safety. Their sacrifice and heroism has to be commemorated. Their legacy should inspire thousands."
Started in 1997 with 18 police officers bicycling for a few days from New Jersey to Washington DC, the Unity Tour now has more than 1200 officers from across the US in its annual ride .
The tours have raised over $10 million to maintain the National Law Enforcement Officers Monument in Washington, DC and support the cause of National Law Enforcement Museum in DC. A Groundbreaking ceremony for the museum was held in October this year.
"The museum will recognise all law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty," Phillips said, "and it will chronicle the stories of officers who have served in an effort to help our citizens gain valuable insight into the work that we do."
The museum scheduled to open in 2013 will also feature material from the Memorial Fund's files on the nearly19,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers in the United States who have died in the line of duty since the first recorded death in 1792, he said.
Phillips visited Gujarat recently to work out the logistics of the bicycle tour and ensure the security details are in place. The bikes the Americans will be using are flown from New Jersey or New York.
The critics of police in America and in Gujarat may not be thrilled by the idea but Vithal Dhaduk, a well known neurologist, community activist and cofounder of the International Gujarati Forum said he expects hundreds of citizens and older school children to join the rally.
"There will be a whole lot of activities included including tree planting," he said. "Police officers from across India are expected to come to Raksha University (a police academy) in Ahmadabad to meet with their American counterparts and exchange ideas about enforcing law and order."
Phillips said for many years now the association and one of its big supporters Albert Jassani, who owns, among other things, Albert Palace reception and motel, has been hosting over 250 police officers on their way to Washington, DC. They are dined and facilitated at Albert Palace and stay at his motel facilities.
Right outside the building complex there is a huge statue of Patel, the man who unified India and became its first home minister.
"I understood from Albert that he is like the George Washington of India," Phillips said. "I saw the statue for the first time when I met with Jassani soon after the 9/11attacks and he offered to support our efforts.
"We do the tour in America to make sure the names of police officers who were slain and their sacrifices are not forgotten," he continued. "And we will be doing that in India. We hope this idea catches on in India and there would be similar efforts in India too and people become aware of the good police work.."
And he hopes Indian police officers would join the Policy Unity Tour in America soon. "We have had guest police officers from a few countries joining ourtour," he said.
"It will be wonderful --- and very fitting since we have a verygood connection with the Indian community in New Jersey--- to have officers from India on our tour," he added.
