Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Glenn Smith was shot and killed by a sniper at a house used by the Black Panther Party located at 3376 Sixteenth Street. Officer Smith, in plainclothes, was responding to a call for help from two fellow officers who had tried to ticket two young supporters of the Black Panther Party for illegally distributing literature. When he arrived at the scene, a rifle barrel poked out of the bay window of the home and fired once, killing Officer Smith. After a standoff, all 16 occupants of the home surrendered and were eventually all found not guilty. Officer Smith had been a Detroit Police Officer for two years. Survivors include his wife, parents, and siblings. The Black Panther Party was a black nationalist and Marxist revolutionary political and militant organization active in the United States between 1966 and 1982. Members and former members of the group were responsible for the murders of over 20 law enforcement officers and the wounding of dozens more across the nation. Please click here to visit all the law enforcement officers who have died as a result of the Black Panther Party's violent activism.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife, parents, and siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-808E3B22- 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.
Police Officer Smith gave the Detroit Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Glenn E. Smith is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Detroit Police Department, 177 of 250 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Glenn E. Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Glenn E. Smith Compares
Offender Outcome
Acquitted
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Glenn E. Smith is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Glenn E. Smith was killed by rifle.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
249 officers from Detroit Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
