TYLER (KYTX) - An international convention has rolled into the Rose City. The Blue Knights is a law enforcement motorcycle organization, and are in Tyler for their annual national conference.
With that many people staying in Tyler for the week it's great for the local economy. Event organizers say this conference could pump as much as $2.5 million into the Tyler economy.
They came from everywhere all over the world, but no matter where they live, all the Blue Knights share the same law enforcement history.
"I was in the county police for a while," says retired Baltimore Policeman Chester Waldvogel.
"I ran the auxiliary division of the Belvedere Police Dept," says former Belvedere, Illinois Policeman Bill Robertson.
"I was a major crimes investigator," says former Quebec Policeman Roger Surprenant.
At 9:30 Tuesday morning, South Tyler saw a whole lot of leather and chrome, as about 100 Blue Knights, took off together for a ride through East Texas.
"It's just a beautiful thing to have a family throughout the world," Waldvogel says.
Tyler Police Officer Richard Cashell is the head of the Tyler Blue Knight Chapter and he says a whole lot went into hosting an international event.
"It's been two years worth of planning on this. We have people from Poland, Australia, Germany, Britain, Ireland, Belgium, so we've got people from all over the world, all over the United States and Canada," Cashell says.
Every year, the conference is a chance to emphasize motorcycle safety. Officer Cashell knows the importance of that from a first hand experience.
"I had a major wreck a little over two years ago," he says. "We just want people to be aware of us because in a collision, four wheels beats two every time."
The event was filled with safety, comradery, and a lot of people who are seeing Texas for the first time.
"What do you think of Texas?" we asked Waldvogel.
"I love Texas! It's pretty, but it's hot!"
We told him that unfortunately, the Texas heat will be something that will be sticking around until the conference ends later this week.
