Thomas G. Smith Jr.
Agency patch
Police Officer

Thomas G. Smith Jr.

Accident
End of Watch December 5, 1997
Age 23
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 144 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Thomas Smith was struck and killed by a vehicle while assisting at the scene of a previous accident on I-55 south of Butler Hill Road at about 12:20 am. He was standing next to a tow truck with the earlier accident victim when a van struck a patch of ice and slid into them. Patrolman Smith and the original accident victim died at the scene. The driver of the van was taken into custody for suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. Officer Smith had served with the St. Louis County Police Department for three years. His father had also served with the agency.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-11A76B1D
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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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Smith gave the St. Louis County Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Clayton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Smith.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Clayton, MO
Platform Identity slcpd.stlouis.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 5, 1997
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 23
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Police Officer Thomas G. 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 97,772 officers honored here.

In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 29.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At St. Louis County Police Department, 3 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.3% of this agency's fallen.

St. Louis County Police Department
3
of 11 officers
27.3% Accident
MO — Statewide
237
of 813 officers
29.2% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas G. Smith Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Thomas G. Smith Jr. Compares

Age at Death
23
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas G. Smith Jr. is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location