When backers of the Oregon State Police Fallen Trooper Memorial decided to have a bike ride to raise funds for the project, they knew just the person they needed call: Ken Chichester.
Chichester retired from the Oregon State Police in 1995 and he’s known to many people for his nightly speeches during the annual Cycle Oregon ride. Chichester has worked with Cycle Oregon for the past 23 years and he’s responsible for route development, ride safety, and permitting. His nightly addresses usually begin with a joke that is so eagerly anticipated that people in the crowd yell “Joke! Joke!” before he even has a chance to speak.
But now Chichester is working on a ride with a much more serious mission. The OSP Fallen Trooper Memorial Bike Ride will happen on August 2nd, the day after the memorial — which has been years in the making — is dedicated on the Capitol Mall in Salem. The memorial is a basalt stone sculpture that weighs about 60 tons and will be engraved with the names of State Troopers who have lost their lives while serving our state.
The fundraising goal is $223,000 and so far nearly $208,000 has been raised. Chichester shared with us this morning that they’ve has success with an annual run/walk event, so a bike ride seemed like a natural fit. When it came to who would organize the ride, “Given all my years at Cycle Oregon,” Chichester said, “Guess who they called?”
The ride offers a 65-mile or 34-mile option. Both routes will roll out from the memorial on Capitol Mall to Aumsville. Then the longer route will keep heading west to Stayton, across two covered bridges near the community of Scio, and then onto Jefferson before joining back up with the shorter loop.
They’ve even designed a commemorative jersey (available next month) which you can purchase for $67. The design features the names of fallen troopers on the rear pockets and a badge on the front. We won’t make any promises, but this might be a great thing to wear if you want to get a little more respect while out riding rural roads in Oregon. Here’s the rear…
This is a rare and important opportunity to support the Oregon State Police. You can register for the ride online via Athletepath.com (it’s $30 and comes with a cool t-shirt). For more info on the memorial, see the official website.
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If cops want people on bikes to fundraise for them they need to be a little better advocates on their side of things first. It’s a two way street, and cops that can’t be bothered when it comes to traffic violence against people on bikes or bike theft but are hyper vigilant when enforcing minor traffic violations by cyclists won’t be seeing anything from my wallet.
Right, because the only thing cops due is traffic enforcement and the risks they take to protect our communities therefore do not benefit you in any way at all.
I eye-rolled so hard at this comment that I went blind. Help!
This is a memorial for people that DIED ON THE JOB. People are dying so Jeb from Estacada or some SE Portland tweaker doesn’t just roll up and steal all of your stuff at gunpoint. I know that people here take public safety for granted, but sheesh. You don’t have to give money, but when you make statements like that, you look like a **personal insult deleted by moderator**.
I see a lot more tweakers downtown. I’ve never had a problem in SE. This whole comment is… AM radio.
Remember, SE goes all the way out to Gresham… you must not be paying attention, or you’ve never been east of 60th.
Can confirm tweakers are east of 82nd. One of them broke into my house last year! When she was caught, yep, meth addict.
Well if you have never had a problem in SE, then the problem obviously does not exist.
Those tweakers I ran down on I-205 and had arrested are serving a few years in prison. I am sure their victims (myself included) could vouch for the SE comment.
You say your name is Jane but I just know you’re really Alec Baldwin…
How did Jane get 6 thumbs up?
so true! mostly cops bother me all the time just for riding a bike.
So true? What, exactly, is so true? That these officers died on the job? That their families are now missing a loved one? Kids without a Dad, wives and girlfriends who have lost their best friend.
Oh, but you had a bad encounter with a police officer? Well we shouldn’t honor any of those that died then. Their sacrifice means nothing.
Every altercation I have been in was with another male, so obviously all males are terrible people and do not deserve any respect.
Every girlfriend who ever cheated on me was a female, therefore all females are terrible human beings.
Every cop I bad interaction with was a police officer, so all police officers are out to victimize me.
One day you will lose someone dear to you – hopefully you are able to grieve and/or celebrate their life without someone bring up petty BS that probably has absolutely no relation to the deceased.
I’ve been bike commuting for 5 years and have never had a negative interaction with an OSP officer.
Aside from the self-serving motivation hinted to in the article, I think this is a nice way to show respect for those who have given their lives in the line of duty. If someone wants to sell jerseys bearing the names of right-hook victims, I’d buy one of those too.
hey we have good cops out there. let ppl speak the mind and listen
Cool jersey (just pre-ordered mine), worthy cause, and cool project – thanks for this!
State troopers are the people who keep freeways from being a worse open-air mental hospital than they already are. Most of us commenting here probably drive and state police keep freeway driving from being hairier than it already is. I have also ridden and worked on a whole lot of organized rides and the OSP have been a huge help numerous times.
State Police have a dangerous job, nice to honor those who die during service, a drive down I-5 gives an idea how dangerous it is. I ride Cycle Oregon and this event would not be possible without State Police support on the roads. Not just Oregon, on a Montana ride callers we heard callers to an AM talk show were ranting about our group, a state trooper called in to support our ride and express how many troopers would be watching out for us. It’s a job I wouldn’t want, I’m thankful for the good people willing to do it, and do it well.
I’ve lived in Oregon since 1979, came from NY and California, and I have to say that the Oregon State Police are some of the kindest and most helpful cops I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Every contact I’ve had with them has been a positive experience. I appreciate them greatly.