Several local officers will be honored for their sacrifice while on duty. Fallen deputies from our area including Jackson County Deputy Lena Marshall, Hall County Deputy Chris Bachelor, Alto Police Officer Timothy Tanksley and Officer Steven Hemphill who served at Lanier Technical College will be featured on the side of a large trailer that will travel the country.
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.
The “Beyond the Call of Duty: End of Watch” Ride begins every June 1 in Spokane Valley, WA. The truck features photos of all those who were killed in the line of duty. It begins in Washington State, travels through all 48 continental states, and ends back in Spokane Valley on August 18.
The driver of this year’s End of Watch Ride, Richard Roberts, said he would be driving the truck in honor of Deputy Marshall, who was killed while responding to a domestic dispute on November 8, 2021.
Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum says that the caravan will arrive at their headquarters on July 16. “We hope you all come out to see this and honor Deputy Lena Marshall. We will keep up with the ride and post as they come along the route. Let us never forget the sacrifice Deputy Lena Marshall gave while serving the citizens of Jackson County.”
The trailer will also visit the Hall County Sheriff's Office, the Alto Police Department and Lanier Technical College.
The End of Watch website says that it is a more than 18,000-mile ride across America to, “honor the men and women of law enforcement who paid the ultimate price in their service to our communities.” They add that not only do they honor the fallen, but their families, and the other officers that they served with, as well. They make stops along the way at each of the departments and communities that lost a member of their team. “We owe a debt of gratitude to those officers who make it possible to live in a peaceful and free community.”
