A Memorial To Bradley County and Cleveland Police Officers

 Material sited from The Bradley County Sheriff's Website and The Officer Down Memorial Page

http://www.bradleysheriff.com/content/view/30/57/    

  http://www.odmp.org/

Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Wednesday, January 27, 1932
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Not available

Deputy Caywood was killed in an automobile accident while returning from out of state with a prisoner.

Biographical Info
Age: 49
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Thursday, April 21, 1955
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Policeman Bud Cash was killed when his patrol car collided with a patrol car from the Bradley County Sheriff's Office.

Policeman Cash and another officer were escorting an ambulance from the scene of an accident. The deputies in the patrol car were responding to the scene of the same accident. The two patrol cars collided at the intersection of Inman and Ocoee Streets.

The other policeman, both deputies, and a pedestrian were injured as a result of the crash.

Policeman Cash had served with the Cleveland Police Department for approximately 1 year. He had previously served 6 years as sheriff of Bradley County and as a deputy prior to serving as sheriff

He is survived by his wife, son, four sisters, and two brothers.

Sheriff Israel L. Smith
Bradley County Sheriff's Department
Tennessee
End of Watch: Tuesday, March 14, 1922

Biographical Info
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Tuesday, March 14, 1922

Sheriff Smith was shot and killed while he and several deputies attempted to apprehend bootleggers near Cleveland, Tennessee. When the deputies approached the still the suspects fled to a home. As the deputies pursued them shots were fired and Sheriff Smith was struck in the abdomen.

Sheriff Israel L. Smith

On March 14, 1922, Bradley County Sheriff Israel Smith traveled to the area of the county known as Owl Hollow in the White Oak Mountains to raid a whiskey still. Sheriff Smith died that day from a gunshot wound.

Sheriff Smith is the only Bradley County sheriff in history to die in the line of duty. Smith was shot while raiding an 80-gallon whiskey still. The raid on the still can be compared to a major drug bust today.

The Sheriff's killers, Luther and Jasper Borin, were captured the next day in Polk County. According to news accounts of the day, they were seen crossing Parksville Lake and were eventually captured by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

According to a story from the Cleveland Herald.

Smith was waiting at the Star Dry Cleaning Company the day before he was to meet with his men about the raid. The group planned to leave town at 3:00 a.m. the next day. Smith didn't get any sleep that night as he stayed up to care for his sick wife.

After finding the still, the suspects quickly fled. Smith ran to the north side of the still to cut them off but was hit by gunfire. He apparently died instantly as a bullet pierced an artery in his heart. Jailer G.G. Bryant rushed to the sheriff's aid but he was already dead. Bryant placed Smith's hat on his face and straightened out the body. The suspects escaped as a storm made it hard to track them down.

Smith had commented to the Herald reporter the day before that he was glad he never had to use his pistol on a prisoner. Smith said he was surprised because you can never predict the nature of a raid. He was right. The Bradley County community was shocked upon hearing of the incident.

Several rewards were offered by area groups for the capture and indictment of the killers. The Ku Klux Klan was one of the groups offering $500.00 Authorities were tipped off on who shot Sheriff Smith when they returned to the still later in the week. A 12-year-old boy who lived in a home near the still informed officers that Luther and Jasper Boring were responsible for the killing. End of the Herald story

In memory of Sheriff Smith and to honor his deeds as one of Bradley County's greatest heroes, State Representative Chris Newton to sponsor legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly naming a section of South Lee Highway in memory of Sheriff Israel Smith.

After adoption in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly, appropriate signage was placed along a section of the highway to serve as a reminder of Sheriff Smith's legacy.