Sanford Spencer Smith
Agency patch
Police Officer

Sanford Spencer Smith

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA
Accident
End of Watch July 15, 1950
Age 36
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Badge 3634
The Vigil Panel 86 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Smith was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a car at 30th and Chestnut streets. He was chasing a speeder at the time of the crash. Officer Smith was a four-year veteran of the force. He left a wife and three young children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-4714E2AF
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 Philadelphia Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Smith.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Philadelphia, PA
Platform Identity ppd.philadelphia.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 15, 1950
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 36
Badge Number 3634
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Police Officer Sanford Spencer Smith 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Philadelphia Police Department, 110 of 378 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this agency's fallen.

Philadelphia Police Department
110
of 378 officers
29.1% Accident
PA — Statewide
417
of 1,261 officers
33.1% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sanford Spencer Smith's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Sanford Spencer Smith Compares

Age at End of Watch
36
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Sanford Spencer Smith is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location