FALLEN OFFICERS
The Johnson City Police Department honors and remembers those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community. These officers answered the call with courage and dedication, and gave their lives in the line of duty to protect others.
Their service did not end with their final call. Their legacy lives on—in the work we do each day, in the safety of our village, and in the hearts of those who remember their sacrifice.
We are committed to preserving their memory, sharing their stories, and ensuring that their dedication to duty is never forgotten.
Their names are etched on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., on the Police Officers Memorial Wall in Albany, NY, here at home on the Johnson City Police Memorial in front of the Police Station, and on markers at the site of their incidents.
To those who gave all:
You will always be remembered. You will always be honored.
HAROLD HUFF
End of Watch | August 9, 1925
On August 9, 1925 Patrolman Harold Huff died after a train struck his police patrol vehicle.
Patrolman Huff, along with another officer and a firefighter were responding to a report that a man was beating his daughter. Their vehicle was struck by a Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad passenger train. Patrolman Huff was killed instantly. The other two men in the vehicle were injured but recovered.
Patrolman Harold Huff had served with the Johnson City Police Department for just five months.
DAVID W. SMITH Jr.
End of Watch | March 31, 2014
On the morning of March 31, 2014, Patrolman David W. Smith Jr. responded to a disturbance call on Harrison Street in Johnson City, New York. As he arrived and began to exit his marked patrol vehicle, he was immediately attacked by a male suspect. During the struggle, the assailant managed to disarm Patrolman Smith and fatally shot him with his own service weapon.
A second officer arrived on scene just moments later, as the fatal shots were fired. That officer engaged the suspect, returning fire and striking him multiple times, thereby ending the threat. The second officer was not seriously injured.
Patrolman Smith served the Johnson City Police Department with honor and dedication for 18½ years. His service, sacrifice, and memory are deeply honored by his department and the community he gave his life to protect.
