LOUISVILLE - One more precession honored Louisville Metro detective Deidre Mengedoht Saturday, this one with a lot more smiles as hundreds came to celebrate the woman.

"They actually shut the highways down today on a Saturday which I found totally, totally crazy," said Wayne Ackert, Mengedoht's father. "My daughter would love this."

The trek is called a "Back the Blue" ride, and journeys take place for various police causes regularly around the country. The main purpose of Louisville's ride Saturday was to support a rapidly growing fund that will help Mengedoht’s nine-year-old son for years to come.

"That hits pretty hard because I have young children at home as well," said William "Sugar Bear" Kiefer, president of a local motorcycle club that made theride in 40 degree temperatures. "For someone to lose their life doing a job obviously that she loved, that’s a lot and it really takes you back to what you do as a profession."

Well over 50 raffle items filled rows of tables, as the crowd poured into a parking lot, buying as many tickets as they could carry.

"It was overwhelming how many people came," Alisa Salvestrini said, standing behind the bombarded raffle ticket table. "And the police department, the way they shut down the whole freeway for us, it was pretty amazing."

Salvestrini said Mengedoht was a friend to her and her Jeep club, which hosted the ride. Ackert stood next to her at the table, breaking up streams of tickets that were selling faster than could be prepared. He didn't appear burdened at all by the crowd waiting to donate to the fund. If anything, he was overwhelmed with support. 

"I feel like I’m surrounded by love and family," he said. "And it’s been getting me through."

While you can’t replace a loved one lost, this community of friends, family, and total strangers made sure there are plenty of new, comforting memories for Deidre Mengedoht's family as they start their year.

As of January 6, 2019, LMPD’s Facebook page tallied over 1,900 donations to the fund for the son of Detective Mengedoht, with those donations contributing over $74,000. You can donate as well by clicking here or visiting the LMPD Facebook page.