14 Motorcycles and 2 trailers stopped at the Effingham County Sheriff’s office on Monday to pay respects in honor of 2 of Effingham’s fallen law enforcement officers, Effingham County Deputy Sheriff, Phillip Kraverotis and Deputy Jailer, Jane Ash.

Riders are travelling between May 28 and August 19 to honor the fallen and will have travelled over 22,300 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. In this process, they also honor the remaining families.

One of those spouses, Amy Kraverotis, was at the Effingham event and took a moment to look at her fallen husband’s photo on the trailer and to touch it in remembrance. She said she is very appreciative of this group’s efforts. She said, "It means so much to me because when my husband died, he really loved being a cop. He said if he was being born again he would be a cop. I hope he knows how proud we are."

End of Watch Ride to Remember is a group of motorcycle riders from the state of Washington who are escorting a 41’ trailer across the country to honor fallen officers from the previous year. Founder and spokesperson, Jagrut Shah, a former deputy sheriff, said they want to show departments and their families who have lost partners and friends that they are not alone. He said, “I wanted to bridge this gap that we have and bring back to the department and let the officers and their families now that their loss has not been forgotten.” This is the group's second year operating nationally. Shah said all of the group members are volunteers and all monies raised go to the survivors.

Effingham Sheriff, Jimmy McDuffie, said he is very grateful that this group included Effingham on its travels. The group reached out to his office and the stop was coordinated in just a few weeks. He said they wanted to come and do this for Phillip and Jane and their families.  He said, "We hope and pray that the loved ones of the people that's on that trailer can have some comfort and ease."  The Sheriff said, "It shows there are still some good people in this world." There is a permanent wall of honor inside the Sheriff’s Office where their fallen are never forgotten.

The organization’s 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. 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. They can be found at their website: www.endofwatchride.com.