Jeff's body camera footage reveals he arrived at the Capitol as rioter Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed while trying to breach a smashed window near the floor of the House of Representatives. The building and its grounds are within the jurisdiction of the Capitol Police, a federal agency. It was likely, she said, that Jeff hadn't been to the Capitol since he was 10 years old and didn't know his way around. "They were just told, 'Get to the Capitol,'" said Erin. Metropolitan Police Department, officer Jeff Smith had no idea what awaited him when he and his riot unit raced to the Capitol on Jan. "And it deserves the recognition." Fighting off the mobĪ 12-year veteran of the D.C. "I'm fighting for my husband but I'm also fighting for everyone else who has gone through this as well," Erin said. Jack Reznicki, photo provided by Erin SmithĮrin said being a police officer was her husband's calling and believes he would be proud of the attention she is bringing to the issue. She called Erin "a hero" for fighting for her husband's line-of-duty death designation. "The military has made this pivot, understanding that an injury to the brain, to the psyche, is just as important as an injury to the body," Duckworth said. Jeff is one of more than 750 law enforcement officers nationwide to die by suicide since 2017. "I think it's entirely appropriate that the law enforcement officials be covered."Ĭornyn has co-sponsored federal legislation, introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, that would allow for line-of-duty death benefits when police officers take their own lives. "It was a traumatic event for all of us who were, but particularly for the law enforcement officers, who were overwhelmed," Cornyn said. Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, says he hopes the ruling in Jeff's case lays down a marker for three other officers who took their own lives after responding to Jan. 6 and will have his name etched into the National Law Enforcement Memorial in D.C. The line-of-duty designation Erin was able to secure carries both a practical and symbolic significance, allowing her to claim financial benefits and ceremonial honors for her husband, like those accorded to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who lay in state after he suffered fatal strokes following Jan. "If he didn't go to work that day, he'd still be here." to consider the possibility that Jeff had suffered a brain injury during the attack. "I think the physical attack on him changed him," said Erin, who petitioned D.C. The images of the attack were pivotal to Erin's efforts to change the designation of her husband's death. 6, at least once inside the Capitol and then again a few hours later - outside at the west front of the Capitol. 6, 2021.īody camera footage obtained by CBS News appears to show that Jeff Smith was the target of multiple assaults on Jan. Police Department and the mayor's office declined to comment. "It's hurtful and it's sad that they can't even reach out to the widow of one of their own officers," Erin said. Neither the department nor the city sent a note at the time to Erin or offered any recognition of her husband's efforts on Jan. As a result, when Jeff died, Erin lost her health insurance and much of the family's income. Like most jurisdictions, Washington, D.C., did not consider any suicide a death in the line of duty. Jeff's suicide was just the beginning of Erin's loss.
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