SPARTNABURG COUNTY, S.C. — A non-profit traveled more than 9,000 miles to bring its End Of Watch: Ride to Remember 2024 to the Upstate.
For Beyond the Call of Duty , it’s a nationwide trip.
“We’re on the road 73 days, traveling 23,000 miles and visiting 250 agencies; all that lost one of these men and women in the line of duty,” said Coordinator Allison McCarter.
The pictures of the fallen are displayed on a 40-foot-long trailer.
“On the driver’s side we have all the officers; 245 were lost in the line of duty in 2022 and on the passenger side, this year we have all 135 officers that were lost in 2023,” McCarter explained.
Upstate officer killed in line of duty inducted into SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame Among those names is Easley Police Department Officer Matthew Hare who was hit and killed by a train while on duty in 2023 and Spartanburg County fallen Deputy Austin Aldridge who was shot and killed while responding to a call in 2022.
Carolina Brotherhood Bike Ride to honor Spartanburg Co. Deputy on 2-year anniversary of death “We are here today to honor Austin and his family and show the rest of the nation his picture, his name and share stories about him to help keep his memory alive,” McCarter said.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said Aldridge might be gone but his memory is alive in at the station .
“Austin was a unique individual, always smiling, he wasn’t one that you could see get down, if we posted a class Austin was signing up or trying to sign up, he’s 100 percent missed around the agency,” Jonathan McGill with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
Today co-workers, family and community members took time to reflect on their sacrifices.
“Austin had a little girl that he didn’t get to meet right when he was killed and we still love on her she’s still one of ours,” McGill added. “Once you’re in, you are family and that’s the key thing we want to community to take away that we are going to always love the Aldridge family, we are always going to be there for the Aldridge family.”
Fallen deputy honored, named Deputy of the Year in Spartanburg Co. Former law enforcement officer Wes Lawson was also at the wall to honor the fallen.
“I think all these folks need to be honored there are way too many people on that wall, and it just touches my heart to see these people out here to honor these folks,” Lawson remarked.
The next stop for the tour on Sunday is Newberry, on Monday the tour will continue to Columbia.
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