Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

We all miss you very much Jillian. Most of our class got together last night and your sister came out as well. I know you were with us.

Chris J
APD/Class 41

March 24, 2011

Officer Smith, your actions and bravery will never be forgotten. You are a true, hero and heroes lives forever. Here's to you, and here's to the little girl that you saved. May she have a bright and wonderful future. You paid the ultimate price, and you did so in honor. Rest easy now our sister in blue...we have the watch from here.

P/O Gonzalez #049
Bowie City Police, Bowie Maryland.

February 14, 2011

Jill I continue missing you everyday. I will never forget you. I will always remember your smile and your kindness.

Maryland Rushing
Charles Green's mother

February 12, 2011

This has touched my heart in such a way!! Thank you for your service and bravery Jillian. I know your parents are proud of you. RIP sweet young lady.

Nina Anderson-Detention Deputy
GCSO

January 30, 2011

MAY GOD BLESS THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF OFFICER SMITH MAY HE ALLOW HER TO REST IN PEACE. OFFICER SMITH YOU REALLY ARE A TRUE HERO SAVING THAT LITTLE GIRL'S LIFE AND MAKING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR HER IS REALY WHAT BEING A COP IS ABOUT. YOU WERE NOT AN OFFICER FOR LONG BUT YOU SURE HAD WHAT IT TOOK TO BE AN OFFICER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN HONOR FOR ME TO WORK WITH YOU ANY DAY. YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HEROIC SERVICE. R.I.P MY SISTER IN BLUE.

K-9 POLICE OFFICER RENE SANCHEZ
BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, K9 UNIT SOD BOSTON MA.

January 29, 2011

Heaven has welcomed another angel...and Arlington has lost a wonderful person. God bless you and the family that raised you.

Anonymous

January 25, 2011

Jill.

I miss you so much. I will never forget our last conversation that night. You will always be one of my best friends. You are now our guardian angel. I love you and miss you tons. I will see you one day again.

B.Winkler 2658
Class 41. Arlington Police Department.

January 24, 2011

Rest in peace! You are a true hero. You kind act of bravery will always be remembered.

DJ Cavalier

January 24, 2011

Officer Jillian Michelle Smith is the truest of heroes, having saved a child's life, heartbreakingly at the price of her own life. Her family, personal and professional are in the thoughts and prayers of her brothers and sisters around the world. Rest In Peace, Officer Smith.

Officer Daniel Golembieski
United States Capitol Police

January 23, 2011

Love you, Jillian. Miss you so much!! You and your sacrifice will never be forgotten,

#2659
Arlington Police, Class 41

January 19, 2011

I read of your act of heroism and was very proud. I pray that you are now in the loving arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! May God bless your family during this difficult time.

Michael
HPD

January 17, 2011

Jillian,
I don't know what to say except Thank you for your dedication and sacrifice.

I can only hope that if I am ever called upon to show bravery, I can live up to your standards. I pray for your family.

God Speed Sister....

Anonymous

January 14, 2011

Rest in peace sister! God bless your family and thank you for your service!

Deputy
Fresno County Sheriff's Office

January 12, 2011

Rest in Peace Officer Smith.... you make all of us proud who wear a badge. Job well done...we have your watch from here....John 15:13

LEO
N.C.

January 11, 2011

Thank you, Officer Smith, for your dedication and sacrifice to our community. You are a hero. Though your career was cut short, you will never be forgotten. May God bless and comfort your family. As the daughter of a police officer and the mother of a police officer, my heart goes out to each of you. You had a tough job and you served well.

Kay Rollins
civilian

January 10, 2011

Your loss leaves a void with us all..your courage and sacrifice makes you a hero by definition. Rest in peace, you will not be forgotten!

Officer Shane Gadoury
Tampa Police Department,Fl

January 10, 2011

Sister you are a hero. Thank you. God speed.

Officer
Greenville PD, Greenville, SC

January 8, 2011

"You're Not A Cop Until You Taste Them"

The department was all astir, there was a lot of laughing and joking due to all the new officers, myself included, hitting the streets today for the first time. After months of seemingly endless amounts of classes, paperwork, and lectures we were finally done with the Police Academy and ready to join the ranks of our department.

All you could see were rows of cadets with huge smiles and polished badges. As we sat in the briefing room, we could barely sit still anxiously awaiting our turn to be introduced and given our beat assignment or, for the lay person, our own portion of the city to "serve and protect."

It was then that he walked in. A statue of a man - 6 foot 3 and 230 pounds of solid muscle, he had black hair with highlights of gray and steely eyes that make you feel nervous even when he wasn't looking at you. He had a
reputation for being the biggest and the smartest officer to ever work our fair city. He had been on the department for longer than anyone could remember and those years of service had made him into somewhat of a legend.

The new guys, or "rookies" as he called us, both respected and feared him. When he spoke even, the most seasoned officers paid attention. It was almost a priviledge when one the rookies got to be around when he would tell one of his police stories about the old days. But we knew our place and never interrupted for fear of being shooed away. He was respected and revered by all who knew him.

After my first year on the department I still had never heard or saw him speak to any of the rookies for any length of time. When he did speak to them all he would say was, "So, you want to be a policeman do you hero?"
I'll tell you what, when you can tell me what they taste like,
then you can call yourself a real policeman."

This particular phrase I had heard dozens of times. Me and my buddies all had bets about "what they taste like" actually referred to. Some believed it referred to the taste of your own blood after a hard fight. Others thought it referred to the taste of sweat after a long day's work. Being on the
department for a year, I thought I knew just about everyone and everything.
So one afternoon, I mustered up the courage and walked up to him. When he looked down at me, I said "You know, I think I've paid my dues. I've been in plenty of fights, made dozens of arrests, and sweated my butt off just like everyone else. So what does that little saying of yours mean anyway?" With that, he merely stated, "Well, seeing as how you've said and done it all, you tell me what it means, hero." When I had no answer, he shook his head and snickered, "rookies," and walked away.

The next evening was to be the worst one to date. The night started out slow, but as the evening wore on, the calls became more frequent and dangerous. I made several small arrests and then had a real knock down drag out fight. However, I was able to make the arrest without hurting the suspect or myself. After that, I was looking forward to just letting the shift wind down and getting home to my wife and daughter.

I had just glanced at my watch and it was 11:55, five more minutes and I would be on my way to the house. I don't know if it was fatigue or just my imagination, but as I drove down one of the streets on my beat, I thought I saw my daughter standing on someone else's porch. I looked again but it was not my daughter as I had first thought but merely a small child about her age. She was probably only six or seven years old and dressed in an oversized shirt that hung to her feet. She was clutching an old rag doll in her arms that looked older than me.

I immediately stopped my patrol car to see what she was doing outside her house at such an hour by herself. When I approached, there seemed to be a sigh of relief on her face. I had to laugh to myself, thinking she sees the hero policeman come to save the day. I knelt at her side and asked what she was doing outside.

She said "My mommy and daddy just had a really big fight and now mommy won't wake up." My mind was reeling. Now what do I do? I instantly called for backup and ran to the nearest window. As I looked inside I saw a man standing over a lady with his hands covered in blood, her blood. I kicked
open the door, pushed the man aside and checked for a pulse, but unable to find one. I immediately cuffed the man and began doing CPR on the lady.

It was then I heard a small voice from behind me, "Mr. Policeman, please make my mommy wake up." I continued to perform CPR until my backup and medics arrived but they said it was too late. She was dead.
I then looked at the man. He said, "I don't know what happened. She was yelling at me to stop drinking and go get a job and I had just had enough. I just shoved her so she would leave me alone and she fell and hit her head."
As I walked the man out to the car in handcuffs, I again saw that little girl. In the five minutes that has passed, I went from hero to monster. Not only was I unable to wake up her mommy, but now I was taking daddy away too.

Before I left the scene, I thought I would talk to the little girl. To say what, I don't know. Maybe just to tell her I was sorry about her mommy and daddy. But as I approached, she turned away and I knew it was useless and I would probably make it worse.

As I sat in the locker room at the station, I kept replaying the whole thing in my mind. Maybe if I would have been faster or done something different, just maybe that little girl would still have her mother. And even though it may sound selfish, I would still be the hero.

It was then that I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I heard that all too familiar question again, "Well, hero, what do they taste like?"

But before I could get mad or shout some sarcastic remark, I realized that all the pent up emotions had flooded the surface and there was a steady stream of tears cascading down my face. It was at that moment that I realized what the answer to his question was.

Tears.

With that, he began to walk away, but he stopped. "You know, there was
nothing you could have done differently," he said. "Sometimes you can do
everything right and still the outcome is the same. You may not be the
hero you once thought you were, but now you ARE a police officer."

************************************************************

My sister in blue, I tasted tears the moment I heard about you and the ultimate sacrifice you made for the life of a child. We have all been mad, scared, second guessed ourselves and been Monday morning quarterbacked by those who have no understanding about what it means to be a police officer and have to make split second, life or death decisions. Simply put, you "handled it" and your are an inspiration to other officers, whether they are rookies or those of us with a few miles on us. Your sacrifice should serve to remind us all why we answered the calling. Rest in peace.

Sgt. Jennifer S. Ross
City of Decatur Police Department, GA

January 7, 2011

This officer has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. She will always be remembered for this.

Lt. Penny Kiefer
Portage Police Dept., WI

January 7, 2011

Officer Jilliam Michelle Smith,

You are a true hero, god speed and we will take it from here.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Honor Guard
Cedar Park P.D.

January 7, 2011

You will live on in all our hearts, sister. That little girl will never forget you or what you did for her.
Take solace, loved ones of Jillian, that brothers and sisters in uniform and those they protect who have lost the same mourn with you.

Sgt. Sunderland
Val Verde County Sheriff's Office, TX

January 6, 2011

Officer Smith - There's a saying that goes, "ships in harbor are safe, but that is not what ships are for." When we raise our right hands, recite an oath, and have a badge affixed to our chest, we all must leave the relatively safe confines of our regular lives to face the dangers and uncertainties of police work. Your career and your young life have been cut, tragically, short. You will no doubt be missed by all who loved you and cherished your sweet smile. Thank you for your service to the people of Arlington and the state of Texas. May God grant you eternal rest and may his perpetual light shine upon you.

Chief K. Moreland (Ret. Sgt.)
Palmer Lake, CO PD (Ret. LAPD)

January 6, 2011

It saddens my heart to lose such a beautiful, bright young woman. I pray for her family as well as her fellow officers. She died a heroine's death. Know that she is in a better place and allow the knowledge that she gave her life to save the life of a child to give you a modicum of comfort.

Gwen Broughton-Culclager
citizen

January 6, 2011

Your actions were true heroism. You are forever in our memories. Your family and friends are in our prayers. Job well done. Go with God.

Corporal Tim Zuniga
University of California Police Department

January 6, 2011

Rest in peace, Officer Smith.

Police Officer
Chicago Police Dept. - 24th Dist.

January 6, 2011