Sergeant Orville Royal Smith, Jr.

Sergeant Orville Royal Smith, Jr.

Shelton Police Department, Connecticut

End of Watch Wednesday, July 7, 2010

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Orville Royal Smith, Jr.

Sergeant Orville Smith died from injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle operated by an intoxicated driver.

Sergeant Smith was working a traffic detail on Route 110 at the intersection of Indian Well Road. He was standing next to his patrol car when he and his patrol car were struck by the driver a Nissan Frontier pickup truck. Sergeant Smith was taken to Bridgeport Hospital where he died from his injuries four days later.

The driver of the pick-up truck was arrested and charged in connection with Sergeant Smith's death. In October 2011 he pleaded no contest to second-degree manslaughter and was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison.

Sergeant Smith had served with the Shelton Police Department for 39 years. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Shelton Fire Department White Hills Co. No. 5.

Sergeant Smith is survived by his wife, sister and her husband and several nieces and nephews.

In October 2011, Indian Well Road was renamed Sgt. Orville Smith Memorial Highway.

Bio

  • Age 64
  • Tour 39 years
  • Badge S5
  • Military Veteran

Incident Details

  • Cause Vehicular assault
  • Incident Date Saturday, July 3, 2010
  • Weapon Automobile; Alcohol involved
  • Offender Sentenced to 3 years

Impaired Driver, traffic patrol

Most Recent Reflection

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Heavenly Father, I come before You today grieved in heart over the divisions in our country; the United States of America. I grieve for every life lost to violence, regardless of color or creed. And I especially grieve this day over the senseless deaths of America’s Peace Officers whose sworn duty is to protect us from harm. Please grant comfort and hope to their families. I know from the Holy Scriptures in Romans 13 that Peace Officers have a sacred task, to enforce laws that protect the innocent and punish the guilty. I pray that You will protect them as they serve us. Give them wisdom, discernment, and a deep desire to serve You. Please surround every Peace Officer in our nation, the United States of America, with battalions of warring angels to protect them from harm. I stand in the powerful and mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ against every work of Satan intended to inflict injury and death on our Protectors. May Satan’s power be thwarted, in Your mighty and holy name, and his plans exposed by Your Light. In the mighty and holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, and the Mediator between us, Heavenly Father, in prayer, and by His authority, I pray! Amen.

Please find Encouragement, Comfort, Support, and Hope from God's Word:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
[Matthew 5:9 ESV];

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." [Psalm 23:4 ESV];

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
[John 15:13 ESV];

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." [Matthew 5:4 ESV];

"And he [Jesus] said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." [Luke 23:43 ESV], and;

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." [John 3:16 ESV].

Chaplain Steven R. Closs, DDiv.
Ordained/Licensed Independent WCM Clergy (06/01/2020)
I'M PRAYING MINISTRY: Devoted to Intercessory Prayer and God's Word
Member: Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers - USA
Member: National Certified Chaplains Association (NCCA)
Member: National Association of Christian Ministers (NACM)

Captain Steven R. Closs (Retired)
Nashua NH Police Department (1974-1998)

July 5, 2025

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