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Swalwell Memorializes Fallen BART Officer on House Floor

January 28, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) today honored fallen Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Officer Sergeant Thomas (Tommy) Smith, who was tragically killed last week while on duty. Sgt. Smith resided in San Ramon, in Rep. Swalwell's congressional district.

"I join the Bay Area community in remembering BART Sgt. Tommy Smith of San Ramon," said Swalwell. "He was a family man, a gentleman, and an inspiration. On the job he worked honorably every day to protect our community. He will be remembered as a hero not because of how he died, but because of how he lived. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time."

BART Officer One Minute Screenshot

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Below is a transcript of his remarks:

"There is no person more worthy of respect and tribute than he or she who lays down their own life while working to protect others.

"Today, it is with great sadness that I wish to honor Bay Area Rapid Transit Sgt. Thomas Smith, whose end of watch came too early when he was tragically killed on January 21 of this year.

"Sgt. Smith, known as Tommy to his family and friends, is from a law enforcement family that knows all too well the daily risks of wearing a badge and serving the community as a police officer. Sgt. Smith's wife Kellie also works as a police officer, as do his two brothers, Ed and Pat. Also his brother-in-law, Todd. So aware were Sgt. Smith and his family of the personal danger they faced in their jobs, that they had a rule about what they would say to each other whenever they would leave each other's company: Never say goodbye. You only tell each other, ‘be safe.'

"But Sgt. Smith is not a hero because of how he died. He is a hero because of how he lived. On the job, Sgt. Smith worked honorably every day, not just the day we lost him, to protect our community. But Sgt. Smith cared most about his family; nothing else was even a close second, as his own Lieutenant described earlier last week. Sgt. Smith took every opportunity to spend time with who he called his ‘girls:' his wife Kellie and their 6 year-old daughter, Summer.

"May we always remember Sgt. Smith and how he lived so honorably for us. And may Sgt. Smith now watch over us from above, as he always did on Earth, to make sure all of us can ‘be safe.'"