[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 24, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E539-E540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO FORMER RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF LARRY D. SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 24, 2013

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Raul Ruiz to 
pay tribute to a hero from our Congressional districts, Sheriff Larry 
D. Smith. Today, I ask that the House of Representatives honor and 
remember Sheriff Smith, who dedicated his life in service to our 
community. On Friday, April 19, 2013 Larry passed away at the age of 68 
at his home in La Quinta, California after fighting a long battle with 
cancer and pneumonia.
  Larry received a bachelor's degree in public management from 
Pepperdine University. His 36-year career in law enforcement began in 
1966 in the small town of Blythe, California near the Colorado River, 
where Larry was a deputy sheriff. As he earned promotions throughout 
his career, he brought up many deputies through the ranks, including 
current Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff. In 1987, Smith was 
promoted to Chief Deputy Sheriff in Riverside County. As Chief of the 
Corrections Division, he oversaw the financing and construction of two 
modern jails, including the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley 
that opened in 1993.
  As Larry was completing his law studies and planning on retiring to 
open a practice, then-Sheriff Cois Byrd encouraged him to run for 
Sheriff of Riverside County. He was challenged in his first term, but 
ran unopposed for his second. During Larry's tenure as sheriff, he 
presided over a department that currently has 3,000 deputies and 
polices 17 cities, in addition to 300 square miles of unincorporated 
areas. He also helped the county acquire land from the federal 
government that eventually became the Ben Clark Training Center near 
March Air Reserve Base, where law enforcement officers and firefighters 
from throughout the state train. The county's largest jail, the Larry 
D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, bears his name. Larry was 
also the first man to serve as both sheriff and coroner after the two 
departments merged.
  Larry served our community for eight years from 1994-2002, and was 
the 11th of 13 men to serve as sheriff in the department's 120-year 
history. He was succeeded by Sheriff Bob Doyle. Even after Larry had 
retired, he would still offer his counsel to his successors on 
corrections, a field in which he was considered an expert. He also 
mentored other sheriffs as President of the California State Sheriff's 
Association and strongly advocated education for his deputies.
  According to his wife Toni, Larry's approach to his career was 
influenced by his Midwestern roots. She said, ``He was a very 
dignified, humble man. He was an Illinois farm kid who saw good in 
everyone . . . He always talked about doing things for the right 
reason, not just in big things or in small things, but in all things.''
  Larry was also active in the Palm Desert Community Presbyterian 
Church, where he mentored pastors on running an organization, and 
programs for those battling addiction. A scholarship will be 
established in his name to help people afford to attend the Ranch 
Recovery Center in Desert Hot Springs, which provides treatment 
alternatives for drug and alcohol abuse, according to his wife.
  On Saturday, May 4, 2013 a memorial service will be held at the Palm 
Desert Community Presbyterian Church in Palm Desert, California. Smith 
is survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons.
  The dangers our police officers face every day often go unnoticed and 
without remark. Each story is unique and humbling for those of

[[Page E540]]

us who, far from the dangers they have faced, live our lives in 
relative comfort and ease. In the case of Sheriff Smith, he was blessed 
to have the love and strength of his family to help him along the way. 
I extend my condolences to Larry's family and friends; although Larry 
may be gone, the light and goodness he brought to the world remain and 
will never be forgotten.

                          ____________________