Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The Thousand Oaks Police Department Bike Patrol Team participated in the Bike MS charity ride in Ventura raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The team completed their inaugural charity ride on Saturday at the Bike MS event as Team “T.O. 5-O.” They completed a 30-mile ride and raised more than $2,000 to support the National M.S. Society. Donations included contributions from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cops Running for Charities organization.

More than 1,000 cyclists rode 15, 30, 60, 75 or 100-mile routes through Southern California’s most picturesque coastal areas, aiming to raise a record $1.4 million for MS services and programs and to support national MS research. To date, they are already more than half-way to that goal.

Team T.O. 5-O received support from local and regional sponsors to help with cycling gear and supplies for the event. Bike patrol deputies designed the team’s cycling shirt, which is worn by the deputies when they participate in charitable bicycling events. The Bike Patrol Team is grateful to its sponsors who have provided continuous support over the years: Mocean, Newbury Park Bicycle Shop, Platinum Performance Nutrition, Roadrunner Sports, Signs Now, and the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

The Bike Patrol Team looks forward to future area charity bike rides and will continue fundraising efforts to support charitable organizations.

About Multiple Sclerosis
• Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.
• Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The advancement, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer toward a world free of MS.
• Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease.
• MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.

Please visit www.bikeMSsocal.org to support cyclists with a donation and to help the Bike MS Southern California Ride reach its $1.4 million goal. Monies raised support education, advocacy, research and local programs that enhance the quality of life for people with MS and their families in our local communities.

Location: Ventura, CA

Date & Time/ RB#: Saturday, October 16, 2010

Unit Responsible: Thousand Oaks Police Department C.O.P.P.S. (Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) Unit

Officer Preparing Release: Sgt. Don Aguilar

Follow-up Contact: Sgt. Don Aguilar (805) 797-7349

Date of Release: October 19, 2010

Approved By: Capt. Bill Ayub