DALLAS — Editor's note: The above video is from July 8, 2021. Updated at 3:10 p.m. with a correction about Smith's alma mater. He attended Lamar University-Beaumont.
The Dallas Love Field Law Enforcement Building will now be known as the Sergeant Michael Smith Law Enforcement Building after Dallas City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to rename the building in honor of the Dallas police officer who was killed in the July 7, 2016 attacks.
The building will be renamed effective immediately, according to the resolution passed by the council.
Smith, along with DART Officer Brent Thompson, Dallas Police Officer Patrick Zamarripa, Dallas Police Officer Michael Krol and Dallas Police Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens, were killed in the line of duty in July 2016 when a sniper opened fire, interrupting a peaceful protest against police violence.
Smith was 55 when he was killed. After his death, his brother-in-law called him an exceptional father to two young girls. He served as an Army Ranger and went on to attend Lamar University-Beaumont before becoming an officer with the Dallas Police Department.
His brother-in-law said he had a talk with Smith about retirement, but said the sergeant was more concerned about his fellow officers and remained on the force.
The resolution from Dallas City Council Wednesday makes note of Smith's distinguished career as a Ranger and as a police officer in Dallas' North Central patrol division and Love Field Unit. He worked with the Dallas Police Department for 28 years, earning more than 86 commendations over the course of his career.