INDIANAPOLIS — Just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 16, a caravan pulled into the Indiana State Police Indianapolis Post with the goal of catching attention: 380 men and women displayed on a massive truck.
"We want them to look at these men and women's faces and say their names, help keep their memories alive," said Allison McCarter, coordinator for Beyond the Call of Duty, the group that organizes the ride.
It's all part of "Ride to Remember," a motorcycle ride created to honor fallen police officers throughout the U.S., including ISP Trooper Aaron Smith, who died in the line of duty in June 2023.
Smith was trying to stop a stolen vehicle that was leading police on a chase. Investigators said he stepped out of his vehicle to deploy stop sticks, and that's when he was killed by the suspect.
Smith's loved ones were there for the tribute.
"What a meaningful opportunity to meet these folks who they don't know us, they don't know Aaron's family, yet they feel like family when they show up," ISP Sgt. John Perrine said. "The honorable things that they're doing is just thankless, and we can't be more appreciative of what they're doing."
The crew left Spokane, Washington, in early June and has been on the road since then, making stops across the country. The goal is to get through 45 states and raise awareness about their mission.
"We want the general public to see that these were human beings with families and lives and communities, that law enforcement was their career, but they were also just human beings," McCarter said.
After stops throughout the state of Indiana, the riders will head into Ohio as they continue their journey coast to coast for a ride to remember.
Click here to check out their schedule.