GATES, N.Y. — The Gates Keystone Club Police Pipes and Drums met at the Gates Town Hall Friday morning to head down to Virginia Beach to play at the funerals of Officer Cameron Girvin and Christopher Reese.

Officers Girvin and Reese were killed in the line of duty down in Virginia Beach while at a traffic stop looking for expired plates on Feb. 21.

The Gates Keystone Club is a bagpipe band that attends funerals for any law enforcement, military personal or fire service that may have been killed in the line of duty to pay homage.

“That is our mission,” said Dave Staub, a member of the club who is also a retired member of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. “To honor the fallen.”

Girvin was a Rochester native who graduated from Gates Chili Central School.

“Its an honor for us to go down there and have the Girvin family see some familiar faces,” said Jim VanBredeorde, the pipe major for the club and the coordinator of this event.

According to VanBredeorde, they will be performing alongside other bagpipe bands from around the East Coast. He also said it is quite common for them to travel to different locations and meet and perform with other bagpipe bands.

“There’s such a rich tradition of law enforcement having bagpipes at their ceremonies,” said Vanbredeorde.

This club was formed about 27 years ago, according to VanBredeorde, as they realized this region of Upstate New York did not have a police bagpipe band.

Memorial services will be held Friday night in Virginia. There will also be a celebration of their lives on Saturday March 1 in Virginia as well.

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