Bridgewater Officer to Honor Fallen Friend on Unity Tour

The Police Unity Tour is being held this week, and one local Bridgewater officer is preparing to honor one of his fallen friends at a brief ceremony on the bike trail.

Bridgewater Township Police Officer Art Akins is taking part in his ninth police unity tour, which has officers riding their bicycles from New Jersey to Washington D.C. in honor of officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

“It was started 12 years ago,” he said. “It started with 50 cops, and now there are 1,000 officers.”

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

“The way I see it the departments are a brotherhood and a sisterhood,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what department you work for or what state you are from, we all have something in common, and that’s service to others.”

Akins said he would never hesitate to help a fallen officer regardless of where he was. And, he said, officers constantly risk their lives to help those in need.

“At any second, I put my uniform on and go out, I could give the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “If you think about that and look at the names on the wall of officers who have come and given the ultimate sacrifice, it’s a family. We are a very large extended family.”

Akins, a Somerville resident who has been an officer in Bridgewater for almost 20 years, said the unity tour will be leaving from East Hanover Thursday, and will arrive in D.C. May 12.

This year, Bridgewater officers Scott Hobbs, Kevin Lamey, Kurt Bernhard, Patrick Knapp and Jack Kennedy will be participating in the tour with Akins.

But when they pass through Somerville Thursday, Akins said, he is planning to stop and honor a fallen Somerville officer who was also one of his good friends.

Claude Racine was the first African American police officer hired in Somerville after Akins’s father, Willie, was the first ever, hired in 1957.

“We kind of sought each other out,” Akins said. “He wanted to know a lot about my dad, the history about him, and I wanted to know about Claude. We formed a bond, and it got stronger over the years.”

Then, in 2011, Racine decided to take part in the unity tour for the first time, despite previous statements that it was too far to ride on a bike. Akins said he and his friend were planning on doing the tour again in 2012 when tragedy struck.

“On April 26, 2012, I got a phone call that he was killed in a motorcycle accident,” Akins said. “It hit me hard because we were so close.”

Akins decided that, for this year’s tour, he wanted to honor his fallen friend. He got permission from Racine’s wife, Linda, to get two of the jerseys Racine had worn during the tour in 2011.

“One I carried with me last year on the tour, and the other I have framed,” Akins said.

Akins said he will be presenting that framed jersey to Linda Racine in a small ceremony at the Somerville municipal building when he passes through Thursday.

“Last year, his bike was out by the municipal building, and it will be there again this year,” he said. “As we ride, I’m going to pull off to the side and present her with the framed jersey, and give his son, Dakota, the medal I received last year that Claude would have received.”

Akins said Linda Racine was very happy and appreciative that he was setting up this memorial.

“I want to make sure we don’t forget about Claude,” he said. “He was an amazing individual. Although he did not die in the line of duty, I wanted to make sure we don’t forget him.”

“It’s always a speechless time when you have individuals who want to remember your loved one,” he added. “I want to make sure Linda knows he will always be remembered, especially by me.”