End of Watch December 25, 1937
Age 53
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
The Vigil Panel 74 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Investigator William Smith succumbed to injuries sustained in an automobile crash on August 11, 1937, while chasing bootleggers in Mulberry, Kansas. As they pursued the vehicle the steering gearbox on their car malfunctioned and the vehicle went into a ditch and overturned. He suffered serious head injuries that ultimately lead to his death on Christmas Day. Investigator Smith had served in federal law enforcement for 17 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-5D224FF8
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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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.
Investigator Smith gave the United States Department of the Treasury 17 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdtirsatufed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 25, 1937
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 53
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Weapon Automobile

Military Service

William Edward Smith served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Investigator William Edward Smith is one of 10,094 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,586 officers honored here.

In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, 11 of 30 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.7% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit
11
of 30 officers
36.7% Accident
DC — Statewide
454
of 1,419 officers
32% Accident
Nationwide
10,094
of 32,586 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

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

Felonious
17,559 (53.9%)
Accident
10,094 (31%)
Illness
3,037 (9.3%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
334 (1%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)

How William Edward Smith Compares

Age at End of Watch
53
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
17
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Edward Smith is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

William Edward Smith served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit William Edward Smith’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.