|
District 4's Sergeant Gil Smith
Last week, we featured a clip from the movie “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (see video window below). We told you there was a District 4 connection, and that is long-time Los Altos resident Gil Smith. Sergeant Smith was an LBPD Motor Patrol Officer, and he can be seen stopping traffic for the car chase sequence at the 1:11 mark. An imposing figure at 6 feet, 8 inches tall, he was pretty hard to miss in the movie.
Gil Smith joined LBPD in 1941 but soon left for military service. He returned as a decorated WWII veteran and rejoined the department. He retired in 1978 after a 37 year career. His 33 years in motor patrol distinguished Sergeant Smith as the longest serving motor officer in department history. In 2009, the Long Beach Motor Patrol presented a bronze bust of Sergeant Gil Smith to the the department. It is mounted in the lobby of the downtown police station where police officers are reminded of Sergeant Smith’s outstanding service.
The black and white photos below are from a 1951 Los Angeles Examiner article. Sergeant Smith stopped traffic for a wayward sea lion. He then took matters into his own hands to move the sea lion to safety.
| 
