College Station officer receives prestigious 100 Club award

HOUSTON, Texas (KBTX) – College Station Police Officer Bradford Smith received the Super Cop award Tuesday evening at the 70th annual Heroes Awards event hosted by the 100 Club in Houston.

Officer Smith began his career in 1978 with the College Station Police Department and is the department’s longest-tenured officer.

The 100 Club is a citizen-funded non-profit organization that began in 1953 and provides immediate financial assistance to the dependent families of law enforcement officers and firefighters who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

The following recommendation was written by Sgt. Andy Murph summarizes Officer Smith’s accomplishments with CSPD and in his community:

“As the supervisor of College Station Police Officer Brad Smith, I am proud to nominate him for the 100 Club Lifetime Achievement Award. Officer Smith began his career with CSPD in 1978. He is the longest-tenured officer within the department. His years of service to the citizens of this community are alone impressive, but that is not the reason for this nomination.

Officer Smith is deserving of the 100 Club Lifetime Achievement Award because of the way that he consistently represents the profession of law enforcement and this department with his selfless service and dedication to improving the quality of life for those that he protects.

Officer Brad Smith grew up in College Station within the area that he is assigned to patrol. He began school in the segregated Lincoln Center School, in the early 1960′s. The Lincoln Center School burned down in 1968. Integration was already occurring, and Brad Smith entered the College Station school system. He was very active in sports and was a standout in the newly integrated Bryan Boys Club, where he excelled in baseball and other sports. He attended College Station Consolidated High School where he was a highly accomplished football player, playing both on offense as a running back and on defense as a defensive back.

By his senior year, many colleges were recruiting him. In an interview with the Bryan-College Station Eagle, a reporter asked what his plans were for after college if he did not go to the NFL. Smith had been impressed in a class lecture given by Edgar Feldman, who was at that time a Captain with the College Station Police Department. Smith told the reporter that he was interested in joining law enforcement after college.

Brad Smith accepted a scholarship to play football for Southwest Texas State University. He was injured during his first season, though, and returned home to College Station after his freshman year. With plans to attend Blinn the next semester, he was home one day when there was a knock at the door. A College Station Police Officer told Brad Smith that he needed to come to the police department. Once there, he was brought in to see Captain Feldman and Chief Byrd. They had remembered that article in the newspaper and offered Brad Smith, then only 19 years old, a job as a police officer. The salary would be $776 per month.

In 1978, after just turning 20 years old, Brad Smith began his career as a police officer. After just three weeks of on-the-job training, he was released to patrol the streets of College Station. Under the rules of that time, he could perform police functions but had to attend an academy within a year of starting. When 20-year-old Officer Brad Smith went to the local Gibson’s Department Store to purchase a handgun to use instead of his issued revolver, he was told that he was too young and had to have someone else provide his duty weapon.

Officer Smith worked for the College Station Police Department until 1989 when family life led to a move. Junction City, Kansas, was to be his next home. He joined the Junction City Police Department and served there until another move several years later.

In 1993, Officer Smith left law enforcement and worked for several years in California and North Carolina for private security companies that specialized in guarding military installations and also in executive protection services. However, in 1996, he returned to Texas and to law enforcement. Upon his return, Officer Smith began working with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. By 1998, though, he was heavily recruited by then Chief Feldman to return to College Station Police Department. He has worked here, since.

Officer Smith has extensive family ties to the College Station area and has developed relationships throughout that have led to a level of trust that others can only aspire to in policing. In fact, his method of policing could serve as a standout model of “community policing.”

🚨🚨Officer B. Smith, #28, receives the prestigious 100 Club Super Cop Award🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/BPmgr18FoY

— College Station Police Department (@CSTXPolice) May 22, 2024

Officer Smith has been a mentor to countless young people in his beat. He has the unique ability to connect with youth on the verge of entering the justice system. Numerous times, I have seen him pull someone aside to have an extended “chat” about the error of their ways. He is able to connect in a way that others can’t, and his advice is respected because of the status that he has built as a tough but fair police officer. His ties to the community also allow him the opportunity to reach out to the family of a wayward youth so that they can also become involved. He is a living example to the kids in his beat of what hard work and good character can achieve.

Officer Smith is also committed to tough criminal enforcement for the residents of this city. His ties to the community aid him with his investigations. On multiple occasions, Officer Smith has been able to use the trust he has built to apprehend wanted felons for the detective division and for other agencies. He has been able to get his contacts to locate these wanted fugitives and convince them to turn themselves in to him. He also has a unique interview style that allows him to gain confessions when other skilled officers are unable to do so. I have witnessed this several times and am convinced that it is because of his ability to connect and his authenticity that leads suspects to tell the truth about their crimes.

Officer Smith works hard to create relationships with other stakeholders in his beat. He is in constant contact with the management of apartments within his area and is relied upon heavily by them. He also assists the staff of The Lincoln Center (rebuilt and now serving as a community center) with activities and concerns. In addition, he works closely with the staff of the schools that are in his beat.

As Officer Smith’s supervisor, I rely on him heavily. He serves as a calming force during stressful calls and is seen as a model officer by newer officers within the department. He has trained many officers throughout his career both as a field training officer and as a mentor on the streets.

Officer Smith is now 65 years old, but anyone who meets him would not believe that. Even at that age, his physical abilities far surpass many younger officers, and he is a force to be reckoned with when those challenges arise.

Officer Smith has twice been awarded the College Station Police Department’s highest award, the Medal of Honor. One of those awards was for his actions in the Fidelity Street incident in 2012. This incident began as an ambush murder of a constable and evolved into an active shooter incident that resulted in the constable and another innocent bystander being killed. Several others were seriously wounded. Officer Smith was one of the first responding officers and was pinned down under heavy gunfire for an extended amount of time. Under extreme stress, he was able to return fire and direct the response of other officers, all while showing a high level of concern for other innocents in the area. Unfortunately, Officer Smith has been involved in multiple instances of shots being fired at him. He has handled each incident with valor and professionalism.

Because of his vast experience, Officer Smith is a valuable resource for fellow officers that have been involved in traumatic events. He is regularly called upon to participate as a peer counselor for the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) class titled Post Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS). He helps counsel other officers that attend PCIS so that they are able to develop coping strategies and emotional recovery after being involved in horrible experiences that this job sometimes requires.

I am recommending Officer Brad Smith for the 100 Club Lifetime Achievement Award. His vast experience, dedication to improving the quality of life for the residents of this city, outstanding criminal enforcement, and willingness to assist other officers is an example unsurpassed by any other. These ideals have been a consistent presence throughout his lengthy career. He has earned a distinguished reputation within the department, with outside agencies, and with the community that he protects. He has impacted countless officers throughout his career, making those that he serves with better prepared to meet the challenges of this profession. The impact he has had will have lasting effects long after he decides to hang up his Sam Browne for the last time.

Sincerely,

Sgt. Andy Murph

College Station Police Department “