Smith, who has moved up the ranks from patrol officer to chief at BSPD during his career, was the guest of honor at a reception Thursday to mark his 30th year in law enforcement.

The Big Spring native said so much has changed in law enforcement — particularly in the areas of technology — in the last three decades, but some things have stayed the same.

“There’s lots of things I’m proud of as chief administrator of this department,” Smith said. “You’re only as good as the people around you, and we’ve had some outstanding people here over the years.”

Smith followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Wayne Tollett, in becoming a police officer and was hired by BSPD on Oct. 23, 1977, to work the night shift as a patrol officer.

“I think we had five portable radios in the entire department back then,” he said, contrasting the environment to day, where every officer is equipped with portable communication. “As for patrol cars, you had to wait until the afternoon shift officer was finished before you got one.”

During his tenure, he has done a little bit of everything at the department, from patrol officer to detective to court officer to supervisor of both patrol and detective divisions. His advancement also has been steady — he was named a patrol sergeant after four years and a lieutenant a year later.

Eventually, Smith was promoted to captain, a rank he held until he was named to replace the late Jerry Edwards as chief in 1997.

As head of the department, he has overseen upgrades in technology — for example, each officer carries a laptop computer with him while on patrol — but his biggest challenge has been maintaining personnel levels.

“The biggest change in 30 years is that fewer people are getting into law enforcement,” Smith said. “This is not just a problem for Big Spring, but nation-wide, also.”

Recruitment problems mean that officer retention becomes a priority.

“All you can do is try to ensure that the work environment for officers is as good as you can make it,” Smith said. “You have to care for them, both professionally and personally. If you take care of them, they will provide a very beneficial service to the community.”

Still, Smith admits a career in law enforcement can be challenging.

“Some of the things you’ll see will break your heart,” he said. “People tend to forget that police officers are human and have emotions — we’re not made of stone — and there are things we encounter that affect us, as well.”

It’s a career, however, that Smith has loved — and will continue to love, for the foreseeable future.

“As far as the time frame goes, I don’t know when I’ll retire,” he said. “I thought about some things I’d like to do after I retire, but I enjoy my work ... I do know I don’t want to work for any other police department than Big Spring. When I end my career, I’ll end it with the BSPD.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331, ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it