“I met them in 2021 for the 2020 officers. My wife worked for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department as a sergeant, and we lost one of our officers.” That’s how Franklin County native Richard Roberts got the idea to join Beyond the Call of Duty, a nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
The organization holds a biennial End of Watch Ride to Remember, featuring a truck trailer displaying photos of officers who have died. The riders set up the mobile memorial outside the Habersham County Courthouse on Wednesday, July 2.
Raising awareness and money
Roberts has participated in two End of Watch rides. He said they brought the trailer to Habersham this year to increase awareness for future tours. The trailer is displayed at every police department in the country where an officer was killed during the year.
“608 officers were displayed on this memorial during the 2022 tour,” he said. “It took both sides of the trailer to get that many on there. It took a toll on us.”
This year’s trailer, which was visited by law enforcement officers and members of the public in Habersham on Wednesday, included photos of 299 officers who died in 2023 (135) and 2024 (164).
Along with the trailer, Roberts sold commemorative t-shirts and raffle tickets for a chance to win a motorcycle. He said proceeds will go toward scholarships to help young adults further their education after facing the loss of a law enforcement family member. The fundraiser also helps cover the costs of wellness retreats and counseling for grieving family members.
“We just went to Alaska back in May. We carried seven survivors with us and treated them to a halibut fishing trip,” Roberts said.
North Georgia ties
Since 2018, 12 officers from North Georgia have been displayed on the End of Watch trailer. One of those officers was the husband of Wendy McNair, who visited the memorial on Wednesday.
Her husband, Lt. Brian McNair, passed away on July 20, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 following confirmed exposures to three positive inmates in the Hall County Jail. McNair formerly served with the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.
“I think it’s great that they honor all the officers that were killed in the line of duty,” she said. “The guys are not paid enough for what they do.”
True cost of public service
Roberts gave challenge coins to local officers visiting the memorial. The organization’s logo was displayed on one side of the coin. The other side showed a knight with the Bible verse Matthew 5:9 wrapped around the edge.
Captain Tommy McElroy of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office was among those who received a coin. Standing by the memorial, looking over the photos and names of his fallen peers, he recalled two officers he knew who were killed in the line of duty.
“I knew an officer killed in 2000 in Doraville: Hugo Arango. Shane Wilson was also from Doraville; he got killed in a car wreck about 10 years ago,” said McElroy.
For officers like McElroy and families like the McNairs, this moving monument serves a clear purpose: to ensure the names and lives of fallen officers are not lost to time. It provides them with a space to remember and reflect, and helps others understand the true cost of public service.
The next End of Watch tour will begin on June 1, 2026. For more information on the tour and the organization, visit endofwatchride.com.
