Jerry Louis Smith Jr.

Nebraska State Patrol — Lincoln, NE

Veteran → Accident

End of Watch June 20, 2019

Age 51

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

The Vigil Panel 170 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 14

Incident

Trooper Jerry Smith was killed in a vehicle crash when his patrol car was struck head-on by another vehicle on Highway 26, two miles west of Bridgeport, in Morrill County.

An oncoming pickup truck crossed the center line after swerving to avoid another car that had stopped to make a left turn. The driver of the pickup truck was also killed in the crash.

Trooper Smith was a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Bronze Star recipient. He had served with the Nebraska State Patrol for five years and is believed to be the oldest recruit to complete the academy.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two adult children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NE-EDE95655
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Jerry is one person.

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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.
Trooper Smith gave the Nebraska State Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Nebraska. 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

Department Nebraska State Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Lincoln, NE

Platform Identity nhp.ne.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 20, 2019

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Age 51

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Jerry Louis Smith Jr. served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Jerry Louis Smith Jr. is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In NE, 36 of 151 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.8% of this state's fallen. That is 23.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Nebraska State Patrol, 7 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.7% of this agency's fallen.

Nebraska State Patrol

of 15 officers

46.7% Accident

NE — Statewide

of 151 officers

23.8% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident