Police Union blood drive honors fallen officer, sets record
On December 4, a blood drive run by the Rochester Police Locust Club set the donation bar high for the American Red Cross.
“This year, we were able to collect 61 units,” says Officer David Smith with the Rochester Police Department.
Smith spearheaded the drive — those 61 units could potentially save around 183 lives. The need he says for donations extremely high right now.
“And that stays in our local area. Blood only keeps for about 42 days after it’s collected,” says Smith.
This blood drive was the sixth annual in honor of fallen RPD officer Daryl Pierson, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on September 3, 2014 while chasing a suspect on Hudson Ave. in the city.
“After talking with the family, the family thought it would be nice to have a drive in memory of Daryl,” says Smith.
