Roll of Honor
Incident
Game Warden Paul Smith drowned while conducting an abalone survey in the Pacific Ocean off of the Mendocino coast. He was conducting the survey at the bluff at Heeser Drive with other members of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and members of the biology department at Humboldt State College. He became separated from the rest of the party as the conditions worsened, and they headed back to shore. His body was recovered three days later. His was the third drowning in the same area. Game Warden Smith had served with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-84ECA7A9- 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
You barely got started.
Game Warden Smith gave the California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1 year.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Game Warden Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Game Warden Paul Steven Smith 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 8 of 17 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 47.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Paul Steven Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Paul Steven Smith Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Paul Steven Smith is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
16 officers from California Department of Fish and Wildlife are honored on badge.nw.
