The Ed Norris bike ride
Baltimore's former commissioner and radio talk-show host, Edward T. Norris, is holding a bike ride rundraiser at the end of this month to raise money for police widows. Here are the details, straight from the Baltimore Police Department's Facebook page:
1st Annual “Ed Norris Bike Ride” Fundraiser to support the
Baltimore Metro FOP Police Widows & Children’s FundThe Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #3 is pleased to announce and support the 1st Annual "Ed Norris Bike Ride" Fundraiser to be held on Saturday, March 28th, that will support the newly established Baltimore Metropolitan FOP Police Widows and Children's Fund.
Not to long ago, former Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris reached out to FOP Lodge #3 and indicated he wanted to raise money for our police widows, widowers, and their children by way of a charity bike ride sponsored by CBS Radio and his morning radio show at 105.7 FM.
Since that initial conversation, Commissioner Norris has met with FOP President Robert Cherry and several members of the Baltimore City FOP Board as well as some of our survivors to include Martha Wood and Laurie Platt.
As a result of that meeting and a number of conversations, FOP Lodge #3 reached out to State FOP President Rodney Bartlett and obtained permission to utilize the FOP logo for the upcoming Fundraiser that will support both the Maryland chapter of C.O.P.S. as well as the newly established Baltimore Metropolitan FOP Police Widows and Children's Fund.
This newly established Widows and Children's Fund will provide financial support and assistance based on certain criteria to the survivors and children of police officers killed in the line-of-duty from the region in and around Baltimore City to include Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, Carroll County and Howard County.
The event is scheduled to start with a motorcycle ride from Pete’s Cycle in Baltimore and end at Laurel Park where there will be music from Flipside, a chili sampling, and thoroughbred racing.
For more information please contact Dave Webb of FOP Lodge #3 at 443-528-9567 or the FOP Lodge at 410-243-9141.
Comments
That's bizarre. Wasn't Norris busted for misappropriating money from the Widows and Orphan Fund to finance his trysts?
Posted by: Steve | March 7, 2009 9:15 PM
I'm all for bike rides and raising money for good causes, but given that Ed Norris is a felon and police aren't supposed to keep company with felons, how can this be?
Posted by: Peter Moskos | March 8, 2009 4:10 AM
Didn't Ed go to jail for stealing money from the Baltimore City widows and orphans fund? Is he trying to make amends? If so, he should admit it. I'm not a Norris fan, but the cause is a good one. I just hate to see him getting the publicity.
Posted by: Fridley Wallheimer | March 8, 2009 9:47 PM
PH: Ed Norris pleaded guilty in federal court to lying on tax returns and conspiring to misuse money from a supplemental city police fund that had been created during the Depression. He had contended the fund did not use public money, which he used to finance a lavish lifestyle. He was sentenced to six months in prison, six months of home detention three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution and a $10,000 fine. He also had to perform 500 hours of community service in Baltimore.
I don't think this charity run is for him to make amends. After getting out of prison, he became a radio personality and continues to have his own morning show.
Posted by: Peter Hermann | March 9, 2009 8:32 AM
Ed Norris is a celebrated thug, I wouldn't fire my harley up to save his life.
Posted by: beebull | March 9, 2009 8:41 AM
PH: Peter, thanks for the note. The Police Department's rules and regulations do not specifically forbid officers from hanging out with felons. Here's the rule:
"Members of the Department shall refrain from making personal contacts with persons of questionable character, or visiting places where suspected violations of the law may be occurring, unless necessary to do so in the performance of their duty."
Ed has completed his sentence and given the way the rule is worded, we could debate all day whether the former police commissioner remains or was a person of questionable character. As you know, he now has his own radio show, is no longer in charge of public funds and you could conclude that he is now back in good standing with the community.
And does attending his charity event constitute associating? The current police commissioner went on Norris' show last week. Is that "associating"? I'm not sure the rules are worded the way they are, but it seems they are rather ambiguous.
Posted by: Peter Hermann | March 9, 2009 8:42 AM
I am trying to learn whether the Ed Norris of Baltimore Radio, being discussed here,
is the same Ed Norris who hosted "Jack the Ripper in America" on the discovery channel.
Posted by: gracefulfish | August 25, 2010 8:13 PM