A love of motorcycles brought together a group of active and retired law enforcement officers who take pride in helping those in need.
By Jean Hardiman
HQ 119 | AUTUMN 2022
It was Christmas of 1972. Vernon Casey was a child living here in Huntington, and his family was on hard times.
“There was a gentleman I called Pappaw Nick. He was a police officer who lived down the street,” Casey recalled. “He showed up with gifts.”
Casey never forgot that kindness, shown to him by a Huntington police officer. He would go on to become a Huntington police officer himself in 1991; and ever since, he’s been a driving force in organizing law enforcement efforts to help those in need. For the last 10 years Casey, or “Big Vern” as he is known by friends, has done so as the president of the Blue Knights WV III, an organization of active or retired law enforcement officers who share two things: a love of motorcycles and an interest in helping others. There are around 60 members in the local chapter of the Blue Knights, and they come from city, county and state departments from West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and beyond.
The Blue Knights is a worldwide organization of motorcycle-loving law enforcement officers.
Founded in Maine in 1974, it became an official organization in Huntington in 2010. Today they have a clubhouse located at 2018 Eighth Ave. where they host get-togethers for game-watching, celebrations and meetings. The members may wear leather jackets and ride big hogs, but don’t let that fool you. They all have big hearts and take tremendous pride in helping others. As one example, the Blue Knights host group rides as fundraisers for good causes.
They have donated to the Gold Star Memorial in Barboursville to honor families of fallen military, and they’ve teamed up with other West Virginia chapters to support the Gold Star Memorial in Charleston. They throw a giant Halloween party every year in a protected environment so all attending children can be safe while having fun . The Blue Knights also have supported Alzheimers research, veterans’ causes and much more.
The Blue Knights have partnered with the City of Huntington to host a Safe Trick-or-Treat in October at Safety Town. There was plenty of Halloween candy — with 40 vendors passing out treats — and the children have the added protection of law enforcement officers being present. As many as 2,000 kids have attended the event in the past.
Sometimes, it’s a smaller, lower-profile project. When they heard about a family in Kentucky who needed electricity, furniture and more, the Blue Knights came together and rummaged up all the things the family needed, including a vehicle.
“Once we get our teeth into something, that’s what we do,” said Casey. “We’re not special. We’re just some retired and active police officers or soldiers who want to help. I’ve seen enough bad stuff in my life. I just want to do some good and make a difference.”
Sometimes, it’s a bigger, more publicized event, like the Ride with Cops event.
When you hear the roar and watch the bikes lined up for miles for the annual Ride With Cops event, you realize how powerful a love of motorcycles and helping others can be. The ride takes place every fall to raise money for the annual holiday party that the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Gold Star Lodge 65 hosts for elementary school children whose families could use the help.
The annual Ride with Cops event starts at Buddy’s Bar-B-Que on Third Avenue. One year there were more than 250 participants; their convoy of motorcycles stretched from Buddy’s to Burlington, Ohio. Law enforcement from West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky control traffic for the ride as the bikers pass through all three states, raising thousands of dollars to help the kids have a good Christmas. Ride with Cops was started in the 1990s by the Huntington Police Department (HPD) traffic unit and was later taken over by the Blue Knights.
“Loving motorcycles is a bond that brings a lot of different types of people together,” Casey explained. “I was in the military for 12 years; and when I got home, I was looking for that same kind of brotherhood. I really found it when I started in the motor unit at the HPD. We would go out after work for a beer or go on long rides on the weekend. It was a comfort to me. It was my wheelhouse.”
In the Blue Knights, there are the members who ride for work, and there are members who will spontaneously hop on a bike one weekend and ride to California just for fun.
“We all love motorcycles and like to ride,” said Casey. “We like to have fun.”
It’s good, clean fun. The kind that law-abiding cops have.
“We’re not your typical motorcycle club,” noted Casey, who spent 24 years with the HPD and is now working in law enforcement for the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center.
Businessman Bob Shell has been so impressed by the quality of the members and their contributions to the community that he approached Casey at one point and asked what he could do to help.
The result is the clubhouse, which Shell purchased, renovated and donated to the Blue Knights. The building is available for rent from the Blue Knights for birthday parties and other special events.
Shell also has offered his business attorney’s legal counsel to help the Blue Knights set up a foundation that allows them to maintain their community contribution efforts and the clubhouse.
“Giving them a solid homebase to enjoy time together and meet to organize their efforts was the least I could do,” said Shell, chairman and CEO of Guyan International. “I felt concern for the guys. They have enough on their minds and put up with so much grief. I like cops. They do a job that most of us would not want to do. Despite the work they do and the things they see, they do a lot of great things that nobody knows about or appreciates.”
Casey agrees, saying the Blue Knights are outstanding individuals from different states and units who do outstanding work as a group.
“We have been blessed to have so many members who work tirelessly for the good of this community,” said Casey. “We have people with big hearts.”
