Erin Smith, widow of police officer Jeffrey Smith, who tragically lost his life following the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, has finally been declared eligible for a federal benefits program designed to support the families of fallen officers.
The development follows Smith’s efforts in advocating for the passage of the renewed Public Safety Officer Support Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in August of last year.
The new legislation broadens the scope of eligibility for federal benefits, making families of officers who died by suicide eligible for support, provided their deaths were connected to their official duties and exposure to a traumatic event.
Hope D. Janke, director of the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Office, informed Erin Smith about the decision in a letter, expressing condolences to her and her family.
“It is an honor to inform you that the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Office has approved your claim for death benefits,” Janke wrote. “The entire PSOB Office staff extends our condolences to you and your family, and our gratitude for Officer Smith’s public safety efforts and commitment to his community.”
For her part, Smith was satisfied that her advocacy would prevent other families from facing similar struggles, and shared her own experience of being denied line-of-duty benefits after her husband’s passing.
“I am pleased that on the one-year anniversary of the law’s passage, Jeffrey’s death has finally been ruled to be line of duty under federal law,” she said. “We have fought so long to reach this point, first with the MPD, then with the Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board, and now with the United States government,” Smith said in a letter from her attorney.
Smith’s journey toward obtaining recognition for her husband’s sacrifice has been difficult. Driven by the desire to prevent future widows and widowers from facing similar challenges, she worked tirelessly in her mission to secure official acknowledgment of her husband’s death as a line-of-duty incident.
Erin Smith’s attorney, Dr. David P. Weber, believes the result will have a wider impact on mental health in law enforcement.
“The time has come to #smashthestigma surrounding law enforcement officer mental health, the scientific causation between brain injuries and suicide, and to acknowledge the silent injuries suffered by many heroes,” Weber said in a statement. “It is time to remove the stigma suffered by Mrs. Smith and all the future widows and widowers who have lost their loved ones to their law enforcement duties. There can no longer be any serious debate that Police Officer Jeffrey Smith died in the line of duty.”
The focus now shifts to securing a place for Smith’s remains in Arlington National Cemetery, where Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the aftermath of the January 6 attack, was laid to rest.
Smith, who had engaged with rioters attempting to breach the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and suffered injuries during the confrontation, was struck by a flying metal pole outside the Capitol. The individual responsible for the pole has yet to be identified.
“Today, we know he died a hero in the line of duty,””Weber concluded.
Officer Smith’s family will also receive non-federal financial benefits after the D.C. Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board ruled in March that Smith had died in the line of duty.
