Folsom Police to Escort Family of Fallen Officer to Washington DC

This weekend, I went to the official opening of the Folsom Lake Crossing. It was a great event, well organized. Every time we have an event, officers from the Folsom Police Departmnent and Folsom Fire Department are there, along with volunteers, directing traffic, supporting our events.

Before he spoke about the bridge, Dan Lungren asked for a moment of silence for the four police officers killed in the line of duty last week. I captured the moment on video.

The following story came to me from Officer Ruth Woods, Treasurer of The Folsom Police Department Motor Officer’s Association.

Between 140 and 160 law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty annually protecting our homes and communities. These fallen heroes are honored each year at the National Peace Officer Memorial in Washington DC where their names are etched on a remembrance wall (ceremony held in May). Families and friends who have lost loved ones are invited to attend these ceremonies and are honored at various events during the week.

The Folsom Police Department Motor Unit serves as an honor guard representing the City of Folsom and the Folsom Police Department. We attend law enforcement funerals and various ceremonies throughout the state. Our motor unit is distinguished as one of the best in the region and we have provided escort services to former Presidents Bush and Clinton during their visits to the Sacramento area.

On November 12, 2008, while working as a motor officer for the contract city of Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County Deputy Sherriff Larry Canfield lost his life after being involved in a traffic collision while pursuing a traffic violator. Deputy Canfield was a dear friend of the Folsom Police Department’s Motor Unit. Deputy Canfield would often team up with FPD Officer Don Koupal during team riding events in regional motor competitions. The Canfield-Koupal team would often place in the top three of the events.

Folsom Police Motor Unit lost a very dear friend in that tragic vehicle accident. Chief of Police Sam Spiegel has given us his approval to go to Washington DC to represent the City of Folsom and the Folsom Police Department. We will assist in the honor of escorting Deputy Canfield’s wife and children and the family members of other officers throughout this great nation who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty as they attend memorial services and support workshops. We are very humbled and honored to provide escort services and feel it is our way to serve those fallen officers and their families

We are proud to represent the citizens of Folsom at National Police Week. Unfortunately due to the present economic downturn no city funding is available. The members of the Folsom Police Motor Unit will be responsible for raising the monies needed to attend the event. We are soliciting donations from friends, family and various businesses throughout our community to support our efforts to get us and our equipment to Washington DC. The estimated cost for lodging and transportation for the personnel and equipment to and from Washington DC is $25,000.

To raise funds for the honor guard journey to Washington DC, the Folsom Police Motor Officers Association is holding a Spaghetti Dinner at Oak Hills Church.

Your donation towards their efforts is greatly appreciated. Officer Woods says that all donations are tax deductible. Please make donations payable to

Folsom Police Motor Officers Association (FPMOA).

46 Natoma Street

Folsom CA 95630

(916) 496-0165

fundraiser poster

Alan Gray is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of NewsBlaze Daily News and other online newspapers. He prefers to edit, rather than write, but sometimes an issue rears it’s head and makes him start hammering away on the keyboard.

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Alan is also a techie. His father was a British soldier in the 4th Indian Division in WWII, with Sikhs and Gurkhas. He was a sergeant in signals and after that, he was a printer who typeset magazines and books on his linotype machine. Those skills were passed on to Alan and his brothers, who all worked for Telecom Australia, on more advanced signals (communications). After studying electronics, communications, and computing at college, and building and repairing all kinds of electronics, Alan switched to programming and team building and management.

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