Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Justin Smith died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Deputy Smith was a U.S. Army Reserve veteran. He had served with the Burt County Sheriff's Office for 13 years and also served as the police chief of the Decatur Police Department.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Deputy Sheriff Justin Smith died on July 28, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 43.
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 and two adult sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NE-B4F4ECC8- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Smith gave the Burt County Sheriff's Office 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tekamah community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Justin Smith served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Justin 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 NE, 5 of 151 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.8 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. Justin Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Justin Smith Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Justin Smith is highlighted in Jul.