Contact: Sgt. Joel Roon - 616.632.6106
Email: joel.roon@kentcountymi.gov
Release Type: Announcement 

Reserve deputy from Kent County Sheriff’s Office to run from Detroit to St. Joseph to continue the mission of raising awareness.

Grand Rapids, MI - For a 2nd consecutive year, Reserve Deputy Matt Garbarino will be taking his passion for running and will continue the journey he started in 2018; running across the state to honor the men and women who have been killed in the line of duty. The initiative called RAM or Run Across Michigan, will be a police escorted, solo run starting in Detroit on June 7 and ending 4 days later in St. Joseph at the Berrien County Law Enforcement Memorial.

To further raise awareness for this cause, Matt will be running with a thin blue line flag each day. This flag is unique because friends and families of fallen officers have requested their loved one’s name be displayed in their honor.  The Kent County Sheriff’s Office will escort Matt each day and additional agencies will join the caravan as the run goes through those respective communities and jurisdictions. Detroit Police will be the host agency at the start and both Berrien County Sheriff’s Office and St. Joseph Public Safety will host the finish. Fundraising efforts will be directed to MI-COPS, Michigan Concerns Of Police Survivors, a charity that provides resources to assist the surviving families of law enforcement killed in the line of duty.

“The run in 2018 exceeded my expectations for both fundraising and raising awareness”, said Matt Garbarino. “The run brought so much support to law enforcement that I felt the mission and run needed to continue through different communities.”

Since records have been kept in Michigan, there have been close to 600 line of duty deaths. The names of these men and women are engraved on the monument at the Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial.

“We were excited to support Matt’s efforts in 2018 and were proud to see how he represented both our agency and law enforcement in general”, said Michelle LaJoye-Young, Kent County Sheriff. “When Matt approached us about a 2nd run in 2019, we were eager to support this effort again.”

The event will kick off with an opening ceremony at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters the morning of June 7. To learn more, go to: www.runacrossmi.com.