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Jan 7, 2009 5:34 pm US/Central
Murdered DPD Officer Had Big Impact On Community
Arezow Doost
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
On Tuesday, Dallas Police Sr. Cpl. Norman Smith was shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant in Oak Cliff. As an officer, the Pleasant Grove area was one that Smith frequented and focused on.
Residents in Pleasant Grove say Smith was on the streets so much he was given the nickname – 'The White Russian'. Everyone who spoke with CBS 11 News said the police officer was a huge guy, with a big heart.
Jeannette Chambers said going to work at a Pleasant Grove Texaco station was much easier knowing Smith was around. "He would come in and get drinks and he would patrol the 'hood because of the school kids fighting going on."
Members of Officer Smith's gang unit say it took a special person to do what he did and he was clearly their leader. "I always looked up to Norm because he displayed that leadership and he just knew we follow his lead," explained DPD Gang Unit member Robert Munoz.
At Wednesday's Dallas City Council meeting, members observed a moment of silence in Smith's honor. Councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill made some emotional comments about the apartment complex where Smith was shot, which is in her district. She vowed to take every available legal step to clean up the area.
In a news release Wednesday, Dallas Police praised Smith, calling him "one of the best of the best" in the department.
For years Pleasant Grove has been plagued by gang activity and those close to Smith say his goal was to 'clean it up'.
Nicolas Sanchez said he doesn't want to remember the days he was in a gang. The 19-year-old said he has only one man to thank for getting out. "He [Smith] talked sense into my head about being in gangs and stuff."
Sanchez said Officer Smith helped him change his life when he was a student at H. Grady Spruce High School. "He sat me down and told me the consequences. I didn't like the consequences, so I went with what he said," the teenager explained.
Sanchez was one of hundreds of students Smith reached out to. The officer visited Spruce High School several times a month. 59 "he knew the kids by their first names he knew we had gang members he know all their names he knew them on the street when he came around they were perfect students."
The Dallas Independent School District liaison for H. Grady Spruce High School, Carl Richardson Jr., said "He knew the kids by their first names. He knew we had gang members and he knew all their names. He knew them on the street and when he came around they were perfect students."
Students, faculty and staff were in mourning Wednesday saying Smith's death is like that of a family member.
Sanchez says he's alive today because of Smith. "I thank him a lot for that."
Smith was a former Dallas Police Officer of the Year and would have marked his 18th year on the force on Jan. 7. He was popular with his peers, dozens of whom went to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas when paramedics took Smith there last night.
A candlelight vigil will be held in honor of Sr. Cpl. Smith on Thursday at 7:30 pm. Funeral services are 11 am Friday, at The Potter's House in Dallas.
A memorial fund has been established for the fallen officer. Donations can be made at any City Credit Union branch. Find a location near you and ask about the Norman S. Smith Memorial Fund.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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