Longtime Lilburn Police Dispatcher Tim Smith Dies

Timothy Rogers Smith, a longtime communications officer, died this week from complications relating to an accident decades ago. He was 46.

Smith served in the police department since July 2000, and in 2003 he was named Communications Officer of the Year, according to a city statement.

Smith is remembered by those who worked with him for his professionalism, dedication and his ever-present sense of humor and smile.

"His knowledge for the job kept us safe. His humor kept us in stitches, and his love for the people he worked with kept us close," said Veleta Bogar, communications/records supervisor at the Lilburn Police Department.

"He was looked up to by new dispatchers and respected by the experienced ones," Bogar said.

Before coming to Lilburn, Smith worked for the cities of Loganville and Monroe.

Smth also served in the U.S. Army, 1st Ranger Battalion, from 1983 to 1987.

"Mr. Smith's entire career was devoted to public service," the city said in its statement.

"He will be sorely missed by the department and the citizens of Lilburn,” said Police Chief Bruce Hedley.

Smith knew what to do, who to call -- fire, wreckers, ambulance -- right away in critical incidents, always thinking a step ahead, Captain Mike Johnson said. Johnson met Smith about 14 years ago, when he worked in Loganville.

"He fell into this job and he loved it," Johnson said. "He owned this job."

The communications officer was the go-to person to smooth out any problem, said Kim Windham, who worked with Smith as a dispatcher for five years.

"He cared about people," Windham said. "If something was wrong, he was the person you wanted to talk to."

Smith was paralyzed in a car accident in 1987 and had struggled with resulting health problems since. And still, the one thing all his coworkers remember about him - and the first thing they mention - was his laughter and his sense of humor.

"He was always laughing and cutting up," Windham said. "He was in a wheelchair, but he never felt sorry for himself. There were never any excuses."

Visitation is Sunday, Sept. 18, starting at noon at Young Funeral Home, 129 West Washington Street in Monroe. The funeral is Monday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. at Dally Chapel Baptist Church, 4317 HD Atha Road in Social Circle, according to information posted on the city's website.

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