Mass. Police Officers Run to DC to Honor Fallen Colleague

A group of Worcester police officers ran a 425-mile nonstop relay to Washington, D.C., in honor of Officer Enmanuel “Manny” Familia, capping the run at the National Law Enforcement Memorial.

May 12, 2022

2 min read

By Trea Lavery

Source masslive.com

Twenty Worcester police officers have completed a 425-mile nonstop relay to Washington, D.C., in honor of fallen Officer Enmanuel “Manny” Familia, a WPD officer who drowned last year while trying to rescue a swimmer.

The run started at Greenhill Park at 9:30 a.m. Monday, the same park where Familia died. The officer’s son Jovan was presented with a baton inscribed with his father’s name to start the run, which he passed off to Chief Steven Sargent to carry out of the city.

The officers finished their run at approximately 5:45 a.m. Thursday, according to a Facebook post by the department, at the National Law Enforcement Memorial, where Familia’s name was recently added alongside other first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“Each and every day our officers remember the service and sacrifice of Officer Familia,” the WPD wrote. “We will continue to keep Officer Familia’s legacy alive and he will never be forgotten.”

Law enforcement agencies across the United States will gather at the memorial this week in honor of National Police Week. The Worcester officers plan to attend several events National Police Week events while in the capital city, the department said in a statement.

Familia’s family established the Manny 267 Foundation in his honor last year. The foundation has sponsored water safety training for the department, swimming lessons for children in the community and flotation tubes installed in police vehicles for use in aquatic emergencies.

______

Visit masslive.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.