Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Kelley Smythe and Police Officer Chance Whiteman were killed in a helicopter accident while assisting patrol officers during a car chase. Dispatchers lost contact with the helicopter during the chase. It was later discovered to have struck a tree and crashed near 66th Street and Lakewood Avenue. The helicopter program was only ten days old at the time of the accident. Officer Smythe had served with the Tulsa Police Department for four years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-82A4EE41- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Smythe gave the Tulsa Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tulsa community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Smythe.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Kelley L. Smythe 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 OK, 135 of 582 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this state's fallen. That is 7.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Tulsa Police Department, 11 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kelley L. Smythe's cause is highlighted.
How Kelley L. Smythe Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Kelley L. Smythe is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
41 officers from Tulsa Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
