Police Unity Tour Passes Through Bridgewater

The Police Unity Tour passed through Somerset County Thursday—and on the way, one Bridgewater officer took a moment to honor a fallen friend.

The unity tour, which has officers riding their bicycles from New Jersey to Washington D.C., honors officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

The tour began 12 years ago, and currently has more than 1,000 officers participating.

At this point, the tour has raised more than $6 million for maintenance of the memorial in D.C., and to continue adding names as needed.

This year, the tour began in East Hanover, and officers will arrive in Washington D.C. Sunday, with Bridgewater officers Art Akins, Scott Hobbs, Kevin Lamey, Kurt Bernhard, Patrick Knapp and Jack Kennedy participating.

But Akins made a stop as the tour passed through Somerville Thursday to honor Somerville officer Claude Racine, a close friend of his who was killed in a motorcycle accident in April 2012, just before participating in his second police unity tour.

Akins presented Racine's widow, Linda, and his son, Dakota, with the medal that would have gone to Racine after the tour last year, and also had one of Racine's jerseys from the 2011 race framed.

"It appears everyone loved my husband very much," Linda Racine said of this honor being presented by her friend, Akins. "And Dakota is very proud of his dad."

After the stop in Somerville, Akins rejoined the tour as it moved into Bridgewater with a lunch stop at TD Bank Ballpark, before continuing on toward Washington D.C.