ECPO detectives slated to participate in bike tour for fallen officers

NEWARK, NJ — Two detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office will be participating in the annual Police Unity Tour this year.

The Unity Tour, which departs on Wednesday, May 9, and arrives in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 12, is an annual event commemorating fallen law enforcement officers in the United States.

Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Christopher DiRocco started participating in 2006. This year, he will ride in memory of Trooper Michael Paul Stewart 3rd, of the Pennsylvania State Police. Stewart, who was 26 years old at the time of his death, was killed when a garbage truck collided with his vehicle in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County, Pa. He had been a Pennsylvania state trooper for three years.

Joining DiRocco is Detective Bryan Badim, also of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. He will be riding in memory of Polk County Georgia Police Detective Kristen Hearne, 29, who was fatally shot in the line of duty in September 2017. A wife and mother, she had been with the department for five years.

“Every year, detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office support this event, which is a benefit and tribute to fallen law enforcement,’’ said acting Chief of Detectives Mitchell McGuire. “We believe that it is essential to remember the sacrifice made by these officers.’’

  Essex County Prosecutor’s Office