7th Annual Back the Blue caravan set for May 13-15

Area citizens will have a chance to thank members of all 24 law enforcement agencies in Sussex County by participating in a Back the Blue Caravan from Tuesday to Thursday, May 13 to 15, as part of Law Enforcement Memorial Week.

Drew and Barb Sunderlin, parents of Pennsylvania State Police Capt. John Sunderlin, have seen firsthand how much appreciation and gratitude can do for the morale of a police department. The couple retired to the Dagsboro area and formed quite a few relationships with local police departments before reading about Ocean View Police Chief Ken McLaughlin in the Coastal Point back in 2018. 

“Ken is one of these people that just go out of their way, not just because he's the chief of police,” Sunderlin said. “He does a lot of things for the community, and I turned to my wife and I said, ‘You know? I want to do something for the police down here in Delaware.’”

Bad cops were grabbing the headlines at that point, and the Sunderlins believed it was time to shed light on the good police officers – like their son John, who takes a tremendous amount of pride in his job, and Ken, who immerses himself in the community.

“It just wasn't fair; nobody has ever been in their shoes and put themselves on the line every day,” Drew said. “They don't run into danger, they run away from danger – I'm talking about the public – whereas our men and women in blue, they do the opposite: they run toward danger, and that's for the sake of us.”

In its first four years, the caravan travelled along Route 113, starting in Selbyville and ending in Ellendale. The Delaware Fraternal Order of Police, which endorses the caravan, requested that parole and probation officers in Georgetown be added. This was a big deal because of the outsized role those officers play in public safety. 

“We have now traveled up north on 113, and we're turning left to go into the Calvary Baptist Church parking lot, and I turned her and I said, ‘My gosh, did church just let out?’” Drew said during an interview. “There had to have been 50-60 officers in the parking lot; 95 percent of them were probation and parole.”

The 2025 caravan will begin at Fenwick Island State Park at 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 13, to thank the police departments of Fenwick Island, South Bethany, Bethany Beach and Ocean View. Readers in the Cape Region wanting to thank their departments may want to start there, as the final stop the first day will be at Troop 7, where things will wrap up around 12 p.m., after supporters thank Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Milton and Troop 7 officers. 

“There's no cost to be in the caravan, but each car must have thank-you notes for each department that we visit,” Drew said. “They hand the officers the handwritten messages as they shake their hands and thank them for their service.”

Healthy snacks such as power bars, granola bars and healthy foods will be welcome treats for the departments, but they must come in sealed packaging.

Participants will also have a chance to grab something sweet.

“Each participant will decorate their car with ribbons, bows, back the blue and thin blue line flags, whatever they want to do,” Drew said. “At each one of our stops along the way, whoever the police officers are that are there have to then go around and look at every vehicle, and vote on the one that they think is the best.”

The prize, paid for out of Drew’s pocket, will be awarded at the northernmost point each day after he tallies up the votes.

“Officers at the last stop are the ones that actually get to see the dedication and the look on the officers' faces and the look on the participants' faces ... I can't describe it,” Drew said. “The joy that we bring to these officers that somebody is finally doing something nice for them and recognizing them means the world to them.”

Drew requests that participants reach out to him via email, btbdelaware@gmail.com, before Friday, May 9, in order for proper organization to take place. He estimates that each caravan will take a little more than two hours, and while he would like supporters to attend all three, they are more than welcome to just attend the one in their neck of the woods. For people who may not have time to join the full caravan, they can meet at the stops but must have the required thank-you note. The caravan routes are listed below. Each starts at 10 a.m., and should wrap up between 12 and 1 p.m.

Route 1 - Tuesday, May 13: Fenwick Island State Park (Fenwick Island, South Bethany, Bethany Beach, and Ocean View) LAST STOP: Troop 7 (Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Milton, and Troop 7.

Route 113 - Wednesday, May 14: Selbyville, Frankford, Dagsboro, Millsboro, Troop 4, Probation & Parole, Georgetown and LAST STOP: Ellendale.

Route 13 - Thursday, May 15: Delmar, Laurel, Seaford, Blades, Bridgeville, Troop 5 and: Greenwood, the last stop. 

“These are the people that face evil and keep us safe – that is the whole reason why I'm doing this in our community here in Sussex County,” Drew said.  “To recognize, stand up, be boisterous and say thank you to our men and women in blue, because it is a job that most people would never want to take on ... but these people do, and they deserve credit for it.”