Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Oren Smith succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning after responding to a medical call where a couple had also been overtaken by carbon monoxide.
Upon arriving at the scene, Sheriff Smith entered the house and pulled the couple outside. While doing so, he was exposed to a high level of carbon monoxide and had to be admitted to the hospital, where he died two days later as a result.
Sheriff Smith was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Edwards County Sheriff's Department for 24 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-026D5BCE- 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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Also honored at salute.nw. One record, 2 gates. Oren is one person.
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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.
Sheriff Smith gave the Edwards County Sheriff's Department 24 years.
Thank you for your service to the Albion community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Oren Eugene Smith served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Sheriff Oren Eugene Smith is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Oren Eugene Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Oren Eugene Smith Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Oren Eugene Smith is highlighted in Jan.
Military Service
Oren Eugene Smith served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit Oren Eugene Smith’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Edwards County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.