Area police officers, sheriff’s deputies and anyone who has pledged their life to serve and protect the community spend a great deal of time riding around in squad cars looking for bad guys.
On their downtime, though, some of these men and women like to feel a little wind in their hair, and a relatively new motorcycle club in the East Texas area offers that opportunity.
The Blue Knights, established in 1974, is an international organization of officers who like to get on the back of a motorcycle and just ride. The organization is the largest motorcycle club in the world, boasting members from across the nation and 29 countries. It is exclusive to active and retired law enforcement officers.
“The criteria is fairly simple: You have to be an officer and you have to ride a motorcycle,” said Mark Hurst, a patrol sergeant on the Nacogdoches Police force and president of the East Texas chapter. He said reserve officers can be accepted as associate members. “We work different days than most ordinary people, so finding someone to ride with is hard because on Saturday and Sundays we’re working.”
Ranging from Rusk to Livingston and all areas in between, the East Texas group has 31 members, including one woman, a Texas Ranger and a retired game warden, Hurst said.
Hurst compared the work of an officer to the knights of old, wielding their shields.
“We’re still doing today what the knights did,” Hurst said. “We travel around and protect those who can’t protect themselves. That’s what knighthood was. Our shield is a little smaller these days, in the shape of our badge.”
But it’s not just about riding. To be a credited chapter of Blue Knights, the group must be committed to charity work. The international organization has donated $13.5 million since its inception.
This year the local group will host a fundraiser for the Angelina Alliance for Children, Inc. — a child advocacy center, something close to the officers’ hearts.
“Our primary purpose is to have other officers to ride with, but we want to help the children that are subject to things that they should never be exposed to,” Hurst said. “The numbers from Angelina Alliance are staggering.”
When a child is sexually or physically abused, Angelina Alliance for Children steps in to interview them in a child-friendly environment, aiming to minimize trauma. Through March, 992 children had been interviewed by the agency, according to its website.
“It’s hard to imagine that there is that much abuse going on out there,” Hurst said.
The agency operates on a budget that is only partially funded by federal dollars. A majority of funding comes from kind-hearted individuals, like the Blue Knights.
A benefit ride and barbecue fundraiser put on by the motorcycle club will be Aug. 20-21. The officers hope to raise $10,000, Hurst said
