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
Service Record
Incident Details
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.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sanford Spencer Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Sanford Spencer Smith Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Sanford Spencer Smith is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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