Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Jerry Smith was killed in a vehicle crash when his patrol car was struck head-on by another vehicle on Highway 26, two miles west of Bridgeport, in Morrill County.
An oncoming pickup truck crossed the center line after swerving to avoid another car that had stopped to make a left turn. The driver of the pickup truck was also killed in the crash.
Trooper Smith was a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Bronze Star recipient. He had served with the Nebraska State Patrol for five years and is believed to be the oldest recruit to complete the academy.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two adult children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NE-EDE95655- 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 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.
Trooper Smith gave the Nebraska State Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Nebraska. 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
Jerry Louis Smith, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Trooper Jerry Louis Smith, Jr. is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NE, 36 of 151 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.8% of this state's fallen. That is 7.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Nebraska State Patrol, 7 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jerry Louis Smith, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Jerry Louis Smith, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Jerry Louis Smith, Jr. is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Nebraska State Patrol are honored on badge.nw.
