Announcements

Honoring the Fallen

2008-11-29T05:55:00Z

In 1999 soon after starting my career as a law enforcement officer, I accompanied my Deputy Chief and another rookie officer to a police funeral for Indiana State Trooper Richard Gaston, who was killed in the line of duty on March 4th, 1999. To be honest, if I was not "made" to go I probably wouldn't have gone. At that early stage in my career, I was invincible and being new, the reality of being killed in the line of duty was not on my list of concerns. Being a rookie officer, keeping my boots shined and uniform pressed seemed far more important. On our way to Indianapolis, the Deputy Chief went over the dos and don'ts at the funeral, what to expect, and the amount of people that would be there to honor Trooper Gaston. It was a chilly day, I thought. How many people would really be there?

As we neared the entrance of the church, needless to say, I was immediately intimidated and surprised by the hundreds of officers from around the country that were walking inside. I clearly remember seeing patches and uniforms as far away as New Mexico and wondering why someone would come so far to honor someone they had never met. As we walked inside, someone pinned a white carnation under my badge and directed us to the seating area. After the service was over, we gathered outside and stood at attention as the casket was carried to the hearse. We then processed to the cemetery and stood in honor as Trooper Gaston was laid to rest. I then realized what it meant. Why officers had traveled hundreds of miles. The bond that law enforcement officers share for each other is unlike anything that I had ever seen or can describe to this day. After that day, honoring fallen officers and never forgetting the sacrifice they paid to keep us safe is something that I was drawn to.

In 2005, I read an article written by Keith McPheeters of the Farmington New Mexico Police Department about an organization called Cops on Top. As I engrossed myself in the details of the article, I marveled at the lengths (and heights) the group would go to honor our fallen brothers and sisters. As I read about major expeditions the group had undertaken, I was intrigued by an upcoming Cops on Top event honoring those who had been killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. The goal was to get law enforcement officers on the highest points of their state. Being a hiker and climber already, I immediately emailed Keith and told him that I was in. I recruited three other officers to accompany me (Officer's Adam Noether, Jeff Downey, and Scott Shoemaker) to Richmond, Indiana, where we reached the highpoint of Indiana (Hoosier Hill).

Since that September day, I have continued to participate in Cops on Top events and have come to the realization of the importance of Cops on Top and what it means to participants, friends, family, and co-workers of fallen officers. On January 12, 2009 a team of Cops on Top climbers will travel to Mendoza, Argentina, to honor Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski who was killed in the line of duty on May 3, 2008. I am proud and honored to be a part of the team that will not only honor Sergeant Liczbinski, but also carry on the tradition and mission of Cops on Top and to let the world know that we WILL NEVER FORGET!

Troy Bacon

2008 Cops on Top September 11th Memorial Expedition Roster

2008-09-12T17:35:00Z


STATE	PARTICIPANTS	DEPARTMENT

Arizona	Officer David Smith	Buckeye PD, AZ
Humphreys Peak	Officer James Rayroux	Buckeye PD, AZ
12,633 ft	(Ret) Lt Donald J Smith Jr	Sioux City Fire Dept.


Georgia	Det. Kimberly Verdone	Union County S.O., GA
Brasstown Bald	Lt. Brad Niebrand	Union County S.O., GA
4,784 ft	Firefighter Joe Nickerson	Union Co. Vol. Fireservice
	Firefighter Woody Childs	Union Co. Vol. Fireservice

Indiana	Lt. Troy Bacon	Frankfort PD, IN
Hoosier Hill	Officer Scott Shoemaker	Frankfort PD, IN
1,257 ft	Officer Adam Noether	Frankfort PD, IN
	Officer Chad Walker	Frankfort PD, IN


Maryland	PFC. Mike Soden	Prince Georges County Police
Backbone Mountain
3,360 ft



Massachusetts	Lt. Greg Hould	Billerica Emergency Police
Mount Greylock	Officer John Bassi	Pittsfield Police Department
3,491 ft	Detective Kim Bertelli	Pittsfield Police Department
	Sgt. Jim Roccabruna	Pittsfield Police Department
	Investigator Bill King	Pittsfield Police Department
	Officer James McIntyre	Pittsfield Police Department
	Detective John Gray	Pittsfield Police Department
	Officer Darren Derby	Lanesboro Police Dept.
	Officer Steven Hunt	Pittsfield Police Department
	Officer David Orsi	Pittsfield Police Department
	Detective Diane Caccamo	Pittsfield Police Department


Nevada	Lt. Keith McPheeters	Farmington PD, NM
Boundary Peak	Dep. Erik Wallitner	Washoe County S.O.
13,143 ft	Dep. Miles McGuire	Washoe County S.O.
	Dep. Mark Stoess	Washoe County S.O.
	Dep. George Wade	Washoe County S.O.
	Teresa Waston	Washoe County S.O.
	Candi Bennet	Washoe County S.O.
	Off. Justin Terry	Las Vegas Metro PD
	Off. Kyle Owen	Las Vegas Metro PD
	Off. Sean Woodard	Las Vegas Metro PD
	Off. Steve Smith	Albuquerqe Airport PD
	John Chevallier	Resort Sport Network, CA

New Jersey	Chief Jan Wright	Hamburg Police Dept, NJ
High Point	Lt John C. Benyo	Picatinny Arsenal Police
1,803 ft	Officer Bryan T. Simm	Picatinny Arsenal Police
	Officer Thomas Byrne	Picatinny Arsenal Police
	Officer Jason Moreland	Picatinny Arsenal Police

New York	Officer Ken Hubert	NYPD
Mount Marcy
5,344 ft



Oklahoma	Sgt. Perry Speelman	Denver PD, CO
Black Mesa	Officer Chuck Porter	Denver PD, CO
4,973 ft



South Carolina	Lt. Jim Burriss	Greenville County SO, SC
Sassafras Mountain
3,560 ft



Tennessee	Paul Corridean	Federal L.E.O. Association
Clingmans Dome
6,643 ft



Utah	Steve Janke	U.S. Forest Service/Firefighter
Kings Peak	Nate Kline	Ogden Utah Police Dept
13,528 ft



Canada	Officer Duncan Campbell	Saanich Police, BC
Vancouver Is. B.C
Mt Arrowsmith
5,961 ft

Liability Release

2008-05-05T00:27:00Z

Participant Agreement, Acknowledgment of Risk, and

Release from Liability

for

Cops on Top

The information on this site is a compilation of unverified information from many different sources. Accuracy of any of the information cannot be assured, as it is subject to change over time. Also, descriptions of difficulty and danger are always subjective and depend on the physical characteristics, experience, technical ability, confidence, and physical fitness of the individual who supplied the description. Therefore, be warned that you must exercise your own judgment on its difficulty and your ability to safely protect yourself from risk.

Your safety depends on your own good judgment, based your own experience and a realistic assessment of your ability. If you have any doubt as to your ability, do not attempt it.

To make your experience safer, you are advised to consult with others about the difficulty and danger prior to attempting it, and engage an instructor or guide to learn safety techniques.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION: You acknowledge that participation in any Cops on Top activity is voluntary.

ASSUMPTION OF RISK: You are aware that these activities involve risk, and could result in injury, illness, death, and damage or loss of property. These dangers include but are not limited to: the hazards of traveling in remote areas without medical services or care, the forces of nature, the inherent dangers involved in participation in recreation, wilderness travel, and the negligent actions of other persons or agencies. You understand that all activities should be considered "exploratory", with the possibility of unexpected conditions and route variations. Cops on Top is not, nor does not provide, a professional guiding service. In order to partake in the enjoyment and excitement of these activities, you are willing to accept the risk and uncertainty involved as being an integral part of the activity. You acknowledge this risk, and assume full responsibility for any and all risks of injury, illness, death, or damage and loss to property.

PREPARATION: You understand that it is your responsibility to evaluate the difficulty of any Cops on Top activity in which you participate, and decide whether you are prepared by having the experience, skill, knowledge, equipment, and the physical and emotional stamina to safely participate.

RELEASE OF LIABILITY AND PROMISE NOT TO SUE: You agree that you, your heirs, and your personal or legal representatives hereby do release and hold harmless from all liability, and promise not to bring any suit or claim against, Cops on Top, its owners, leaders, directors, agents or representatives for any injury, illness, death, or damage and loss to property resulting from participation in any of their activities even if they negligently caused the injury or damage.

LEGAL FEES: Should it become necessary for Cops on Top, or someone on their behalf, to incur attorney's fees and costs to enforce this agreement, you agree to pay Cops on Top reasonable costs and fees thereby expended, or for which liability is incurred.

INSURANCE: You certify that you have sufficient insurance to cover any bodily injury or property damage that you may incur and/or cause while participation in any Cops on Top activity. If you have no such insurance, you certify that you are capable of paying for all such expenses and liabilities.