Police ready to ride
their new cycles

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Attorney Jimmy Binns has been devoting much of his time the last few years to causes involving the Philadelphia police and fire departments.
Binns organizes plaque dedication ceremonies for police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
The veteran lawyer is also helping revitalize the Hero Scholarship Thrill Show, proceeds of which provide college scholarships for the children of police officers and firefighters killed or injured on the job. This year’s show will be on Sept. 6 at the Wachovia Center.
In the fall, Binns promises a major announcement about the mounted police unit, eliminated in 2004 by then-Mayor John Street.
Last week, Binns announced that a longtime friend — lawyer-turned-philanthropist Bernard Gross, along with his wife, Harriet — had donated money to purchase three new motorcycles for the police department.
Binns has promised to arrange for 62 new motorcycles for highway patrol and the traffic division. Prior to Friday’s donation, 25 motorcycles had been sponsored.
"We’re well on our way to sixty-two," said Binns, adding that six more will be dedicated soon.
Gross and his wife donated $50,000 toward purchase of the motorcycles, saying it was unfair for police officers to be riding 17-year-old vehicles.
Binns indicated that the Harley-Davidson models are state of the art, with all the safety features.
"We wanted no expense spared," he said.
Like the plaque dedication ceremonies, Friday’s event was a spectacle. There were motorcycle units from the Pennsylvania State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department and the departments in Margate and Winslow Township in New Jersey.
The ceremony was held outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The police motorcyclists joined civilian riders and members of the Blue Knights motorcycle club in taking three victory laps around Eakins Oval.
Monsignor Michael McCulken, rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, blessed the new motorcycles with holy water.
The crowd included Mayor Michael Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Fraternal Order of Lodge 5 president John McNesby and the families of slain police officers James Ramp and Chuck Cassidy.
Binns will host a plaque dedication ceremony on Aug. 21 for Ramp, a Holmesburg resident who was shot to death in 1978 by members of the radical group MOVE.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 provided refreshments for all guests on the scorching hot day next to the Rocky statue (Binns portrayed himself in Rocky V and Rocky Balboa).
Ramsey, who said the three new motorcycles would be assigned to the traffic division, told the crowd that it’s important for the police department to have a top-quality motorcycle fleet.
"They’re going to be put to good use to make our streets safer," he said.
Nutter said his administration is grateful for people such as Bernard and Harriet Gross, who want to make the city safer.
"It is our No. 1 focus, to make Philadelphia the safest big city in the United States," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com