Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Jeff Smith died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in a presumed exposure while on duty.
Sergeant Smith had served with the Berry College Police Department for 25 years. He had previously served with the Rockmart Police Department and Floyd County Sheriff's Office for eight years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Sergeant Jeffery Robert Smith died on January 29, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 58.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two children, four grandchildren, and siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-A7D9EAEF- 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
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Sergeant Smith gave the Berry College Police Department 33 years.
Thank you for your service to the Mount Berry community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Jeffery Robert Smith served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Jeffery Robert Smith is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In GA, 63 of 903 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jeffery Robert Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Jeffery Robert Smith Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Jeffery Robert Smith is highlighted in Jan.