Sergeant Travis Smith has been recognized as the 2021-2022 North Carolina Police Officer of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He received the honor at the North Carolina State VFW Conference and was recognized for his professionalism, leadership and commitment to the City of Kannapolis.
He was nominated for the award by Kannapolis VFW Post 8989 and was selected from a field of police officer candidates from around the state. As a result of winning this prestigious honor Travis has also been recognized as a National VFW Police Officer of the Year.
Travis is a graduate of Northwest Cabarrus High School. He served in the United States Marine Corps and the Army Reserves with a deployment to Iraq.
He began his career with the Kannapolis Police Department as a patrol officer. He was designated as a Field Training Officer and was promoted to Sergeant in 2016. He is currently assigned to Patrol Squad D.
He was presented with a Life Saving Award in March 2013 for his actions in saving a person who was in a burning home in the City.