Law Enforcement United riders stop in Ormond Beach to honor fallen officer Robert Grim

Fourteen members of Law Enforcement United stopped at the Ormond Beach Police Department on Thursday, May 4, to pay tribute to fallen officer Robert Grim.

The volunteer-driven organization is composed of both current and retired officers, civilian supporters and survivors of fallen officers. Each year, Law Enforcement United completes a three-day bicycle tour that starts in Roanoke, Virginia and ends in Washington, D.C., with stops along the way to honor officers who have died in the line of duty and recognize their families.

Grim died on Nov. 13, 2004, after he was struck by a vehicle while investigating a crash on Nova Road. He had been in law enforcement for 36 years.

The 14 riders who arrived at OBPD started their tour in Miami. They came from all across the U.S. — Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Texas, said Rich Gallo, a retired federal agent and member of Law Enforcement United.

"It's a professional responsibility that we have to those that we made the promise to that we won't forget and to their families that we remember their sacrifice and their continuing sacrifice," Gallo said.

Motor unit officers with Ormond Beach Police, Daytona Beach Police and the Volusia Sheriff's Office escorted the riders from Edgewater to Ormond Beach, where the riders met local city officials and members of Grim's family. From there, the escort will continue until the riders reach Clay County.

Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey said he appreciated the riders taking the time to pay tribute to Grim's memory.

"This is a great opportunity to honor a man," Godfrey said. "They say a man truly dies when you stop saying his name, so by you guys doing this and by us being here, we're going to make sure that never happens."