LAPD officer rides from New Jersey to D.C. in honor of Ricky Galvez

A local Downey resident recently participated in a national Police Unity Tour in honor of fallen Downey officer Ricky Galvez. 

Jeffrey Phillips recently returned from a long distance bike ride that spanned from New Jersey to Washington D.C. over the course of three days. He was one of 400 riders to participate.

“There’s a total of nine chapters; I was a part of the Southern California chapter,” said Phillips. “It’s to raise money and bring awareness of fallen officers.”

Phillips is a civilian commanding officer for Los Angeles Police Department, however he rode in honor of a local fallen hero.

“You have choice of if you just want to do it (the unity tour) in general or if you want to do it for someone specific,” said Phillips. “I just thought that it’d be great to ride in honor of Ricky Galvez.” 

This was Phillips’ first time participating. He plans to continue participating in following years. 

“Riding into the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C. where they have all the fallen officers’ names… that was very touching. There was a lot of knots in my throat that I had to swallow. It was a very touching experience.”

Phillips now hopes to present the Galvez family with the jersey he wore during the tour some time in the near future.