INDEPENDENCE Hundreds of law enforcement officers from around the state and elsewhere saluted Friday as they filed past the flag-draped casket of Iowa State
“Jim’s superpower was his integrity,” Heppner said.
Smith is the second Iowa State Patrol officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty since 1936.
Investigators say the violence that killed Smith began in Lang‘s hometown of Grundy Center, 80 miles northeast of Des Moines, after an officer tried to pull him over for suspicion of driving without a valid license. A brief chase ensued, and Lang eventually got out and put the officer in a chokehold, disarmed him of his stun gun and yelled “shoot me!” throughout the scuffle, police have said.
Police say Lang then barricaded himself inside his home with firearms he legally owned despite at least seven arrests for drunken driving or public intoxication over two decades.
Fallen State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith eulogized as a man of integrity, faith and goofy humor Tony Leys, Des Moines Register
Drone video: Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith s funeral procession
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INDEPENDENCE, Ia. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith was remembered Friday as a humble leader who leavened a commitment to justice, faith and family with a goofy sense of humor.
“Jim’s superpower was his integrity,” Pastor Paul Heppner told hundreds of mourners gathered at Independence High School. “He was the real deal.”
Smith, 51, was a 27-year veteran of the State Patrol. He led a tactical unit out of Oelwein that often was called to potentially violent situations.
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Speakers at trooper’s funeral describe Sgt. Smith as selfless, man of faith
Sgt. Jim Smith
A large crowd gathered today in the Independence high school gym for the funeral of an Iowa State Trooper who was shot to death a week ago during a stand-off with an armed man in Grundy Center. For more than half an hour, officers from all over the country saluted as they filed by Sergeant Jim Smith’s flag-draped casket.
Paul Heppner, interim pastor at Smith’s church in Jesup, spoke of the trooper’s faith to start the service.