Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff George White and Deputy Leonard Smith were killed in an automobile crash as they transported prisoners 18 miles south of Tucson at 9 pm. Sheriff White was killed instantly. Deputy Smith succumbed to his injuries four days later. The convicts they had in custody escaped and were captured a week later. They were wanted for the murder of a husband and wife. One subject was hanged, and the other was given a life sentence. Sheriff White had served as sheriff for one term and previously served with the United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, two brothers, and a sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-B676A0C9- 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.
Sheriff White served with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Nogales community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sheriff White.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff George James White 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 AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George James White's cause is highlighted.
How George James White Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. George James White is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
