On Tuesday morning, August 11, the Greater Kaufman Rotary Club and the city of Kaufman dedicated a bench in the Kaufman City Courtyard in memory of former Kaufman resident Sr. Cpl. Norman Smith, a Dallas police officer who was killed in the line of duty early this year.

Cpl. Smith, a member of the Dallas Police Department’s gang unit, was killed while serving a warrant at a drug den in east Oak Cliff January 6, 2009.

The Colors were posted at the beginning of the dedication ceremony and retired at its close by members of the Kaufman Police Department and the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department.

Representatives of the Dallas Police Department were in attendance, as was State Rep. Betty Brown (R-Terrell).

The invocation was given by Dr. Philip Chacka of the Kaufman Rotary Club, which sponsored the dedication ceremony. The welcome was given by Mayor William Fortner of the city of Kaufman. Master of Ceremonies was James Kendall, president of the Kaufman Rotary Club.

Remarks were given by Michael Holder, Kaufman Chief of Police. Remarks were also offered by Cpl. Smith’s widow, Regina, and his mother, Carolyn Long of Kaufman. Both ladies thanked the city of Kaufman and the Dallas Police Department for their support throughout their difficult time of loss. The two women also thanked the Kaufman Police Department, the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department, the Kaufman Rotary Club, and everyone else who had a part in the construction and dedication of the bench.

The bench was dedicated by Kaufman Rotary Club president James Kendall.

The dedication ceremony was closed by Taps, which was played by Don Harrell before the Colors were retired.

Lt. Regina Smith is a member of the Dallas Police Department. Cpl. Smith’s mother, Carolyn Long, was accompanied by her husband, Dana Michael Long.

Cpl. Smith, a native of Britain, came to the U. S. as a child. He graduated from Kaufman High School in 1983. He was a deputy in the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department for several years and a member of the Marine Corps for four years. He was a member of the Dallas Police Department for 18 years to the day of his death.

Cpl. Smith and his wife had lived in Forney for four years up to the time of Smith’s death, and Lt. Smith still lives here.