OHP
The Beyond the Call of Duty – End of Watch Ride to Remember will be riding into Durant on Sunday 6/20/21 at 1:00 p.m. at the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office at 402 W. Evergreen St.
For the 84 days between May 28 and August 19, 2021, six riders will be traveling 22,300-plus miles across the country, visiting cities and police departments to honor the men and women of law enforcement who paid the ultimate price in their service to our communities in 2020. Not only do they honor the fallen, but they also honor the families –- husbands and wives, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters –- along with the officers left behind to pick up the pieces.
This year, they’re including Durant as a stop in honor of OHP Captain Jeffery Wade Sewell, who passed away on September 26, 2020 due to COVID-19.
End of Watch Ride to Remember is a group of motorcycle riders from the state of Washington escorting a 41-foot trailer across the country to honor fallen officers from the prior year.
Spokesman and founder, Jagrut Shah, a former deputy sheriff, says they want to show departments and their families who have lost partners and friends they are not alone.
“I wanted to bridge this gap that we have and bring back to the department and let the officers, and their families know that their loss has not been forgotten,” Shah said.
The organizations’ event name is based on an officer’s “End of Watch.” An End of Watch Call or Last Radio Call is a ceremony in which a police dispatcher issues a final call to a fallen officer over the radio, followed by silence. All officers in that department hear the call, and observe the silence, remembering their fallen brother or sister. Beyond the Call of Duty is an organization that, through its “End of Watch Ride to Remember” event, recognizes police officers – throughout the nation – who died while in the line of duty.
Last year, the End of Watch Ride honored 146 fallen officers across the country. This year, they will be honoring the 338 officers who lost their lives in 2020 while serving their community. End of Watch Ride to Remember is on a mission to pay their respects to each of them and assist the families of the fallen however they can.
To find out more and see all of the cities the End of Watch Ride will be visiting this year, please visit: www.endofwatchride.com.
