By C1 Staff
GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ — A former Gloucester County corrections officer has pledged to run a mile for each officer killed in the U.S. last year.
Jim Schissler has already logged 70 miles since the start of the new year, but he still has a ways to go, reports the Courier-Post.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there was a 24 percent increase in officer deaths from 2013, culminating in 121 officers killed in 2014.
Schissler says he’s “tired of the negativity” shown toward law enforcement since last summer when a black teen was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
He’s contacted dozens of law enforcement agencies through social media, showing his personal support and raising awareness for his project’s corresponding gofundme.com account.
His goal of $2,000 was exceeded by more than $2,450 in donations from more than 50 donors. The funds will be split between the National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children Foundation and the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation.
Schissler met with Gloucester Township officers last week to explain his project, and then completed four miles on the township track for New Jersey’s fallen officers. He’s also completed miles for Pennsylvania and North Carolina.