Sunapee police teach bike safety at school, honor fallen officers

Students at Sunapee Central Elementary School spent three days practicing bike safety on a controlled course as Officer Joseph Merullo of the Sunapee Police Department worked with teacher Bonnie Cruz during physical education classes from May 11 through May 13. The lessons, tied to National Bicycle Safety Month, covered helmet use, traffic awareness, hand signals and the rules of the road, giving children a chance to ride through an interactive setup before more of them head back onto local roads, sidewalks and neighborhood streets for the summer.

The department said the goal was to build confidence and awareness so students make safer choices when they are riding outside school. Sunapee Central’s calendar listed the Bike Rodeo on May 11, May 12 and May 13, along with a fifth-grade LEAD ceremony on May 13, showing the bike instruction as part of a broader week of student activities rather than a stand-alone visit. In a small community where children often move between school, home and recreation on bicycles, the hands-on format offered a direct prevention effort instead of a lecture.

Merullo, now a full-time Sunapee officer, joined the department as a part-time officer in 2019, completed the full-time Police Academy in April 2020 and graduated from the Criminal Justice program at New Hampshire Technical Institute. His presence in the elementary school connected the department’s day-to-day work with a practical lesson children can carry into the summer riding season.

The department also marked National Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, joining agencies across the country in honoring officers who died in the line of duty and thanking their families. The observance came during Police Week, which the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund said included live in-person events in 2026 and the 38th Annual Candlelight Vigil on May 13.

Sunapee also pointed to New Hampshire’s memorial tradition in Concord, where the New Hampshire Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Association plans its 34th annual memorial ceremony for Friday, May 22, at 10 a.m. at 33 North State Street. The state memorial was conceptualized in 1992 and dedicated on Sept. 26, 1998, and recent references say it bears 55 names from 34 law enforcement agencies, giving Sunapee’s remembrance a place in a larger state and national recognition of sacrifice.