Roll of Honor
James Watkins Smith, Sr.
Incident
Patrol Officer James Smith succumbed to injuries sustained six years earlier when he was involved in a motorcycle crash on May 4th, 2001.
He was responding to an emergency call when another driver made an illegal U-turn in front of him on North Roan Street near Hemlock Lane.
He suffered severe head and internal injuries and required constant medical care until passing away.
Officer Smith was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, grandchildren, and five siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-26B7375E- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrol Officer Smith served with the Johnson City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Johnson City community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
James Watkins Smith, Sr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrol Officer James Watkins Smith, Sr. is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Johnson City Police Department, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Watkins Smith, Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How James Watkins Smith, Sr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Watkins Smith, Sr. is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Johnson City Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
