Captain James C. Smith was born June 17 and raised in Hayward, WI. He served in the United States Army from 1988-1992 and was an infantry soldier stationed in Korea and Ft. Campbell, KY. Completed Airborne and Air Assault School during his time in the Army and is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Entered into the Tennessee Army National Guard in 1992 and is currently the Command Sergeant Major of the 168th Military Police Battalion. Hired by the Clarksville Police Department in 1993 and worked as a patrol officer for several years before going to the Street Crimes Unit to work gang investigations. He was selected as a Detective to investigate property crimes before being promoted to Sergeant in 1998. As a Sergeant, he worked in patrol, criminal investigations, and the Major Crimes Unit. He was mobilized into Federal active service with the Tennessee Army National Guard to serve in Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2005 and temporarily placed in charge of the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P. unit). He was moved to District 3 to be the shift Lieutenant until being promoted to Captain on February 15, 2008. Currently he is the Administrative Captain for the department. Captain Smith was a member of the Police Department’s Honor Guard for three years and the Tactical Unit for eight years. Throughout his police career he has been to numerous schools related to his assignments. He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Troy University and A.A.S. in Police Science from Austin Peay State University.

Captain Smith is married to Melinda Homol and they have two children, Luke and Cara.