Pittsburgh police honor slain officer with End of Watch ceremony
During the End of Watch ceremony, officers from Calvin Hall’s unit issue a radio dispatch for the fallen officer, including his badge number, followed by silence. The dispatcher then calls out “end of watch, July 17, 2019.” (Katie Blackley/WESA)
(Pittsburgh) — In front of the Zone One Police Station on Pittsburgh’s North Side, a police car blocked the entrance. Its lights were on and a blue wreath hung from its front grill. It was the squad car once driven by Officer Calvin Hall, parked in observance of an End of Watch ceremony to commemorate Hall’s death days before.
Hall’s fiancée, Angel Warren, stood accompanied with two officers at the driver’s door. As she looked inside, her knees buckled. The two officers held her up and guided her to the front of the car, where more of Hall’s family and loved ones stood.
An emotional End of Watch Ceremony at Zone 1 in honor of Officer Calvin Hall. @905wesa pic.twitter.com/eAzkRaIram
— Ariel Worthy (@airreeulll) July 21, 2019
Promptly at 8 p.m., a radio chirp came over the loud speakers of three police cars.
“Base to unit 31H1, Officer Calvin Hall, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, badge number 4673,” the female voice said over the intercom. The call went out a second time.
“Officer Calvin Hall, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, badge number 4673 is out of service,” a male voice responded.
“Attention Unit 31H1, Officer Calvin Hall, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, badge number 4673 is out of service, end of watch July 17th, 2019, lest we forget, this concludes the final roll call,” the female voice continued.
Scores of officers lined the middle of Brighton Road and saluted Hall’s car. Another officer walked down the street playing bagpipes.
The End of Watch, sometimes called the Last Radio Call, observes the death of an officer. Fellow police gather as a dispatcher issues a call to the officer, followed by a silence, then a second call, and then the announcement that the officer has failed to respond because he or she has fallen in the line of duty.
Officer Calvin Hall, 36, had previously served with the Braddock Police Department. He’d been with Pittsburgh for about two years and was hand-picked to be stationed in the city’s Northview Heights neighborhood, according to Zone 1 officials. (Katie Blackley/WESA)
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto attended the ceremony, along with District 1 Councilor Darlene Harris. Hall’s partner, Reggie Eiland, also attended the ceremony, and appeared tearful throughout it.
Hall was shot three times in the back while off-duty on Sunday in Homewood. Police say he was trying to break up a fight, and was likely acting in his capacity as an officer. He died at UPMC Presbyterian three days later. No arrests have been made, though police say they have a “person of interest” in custody for unrelated charges.
Hall had been on the police force for two years, after serving part-time at the Braddock Police. He was 36 years old.
A viewing will take place on Monday, and Hall’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, both at Soldiers & Sailors Hall in Oakland.
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