Americus officer awarded Smarr/Smith Scholarship

AMERICUS — After suffering so much loss with the December 2016 deaths of Americus Police Department Officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr and Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jody Smith, a silver lining from that dark cloud is beginning to shine for the city on the hill, according to GSW officials.

“Joshua Greene, a senior in the bachelor of science criminal justice program at GSW, was recently awarded a scholarship provided by donors who made gifts in memory of two local officers,” the university’s Director of Communication and Marketing Chelsea Collins said Friday. “Joshua Greene was awarded a scholarship provided by donors in 2016 after Nick Smarr and Jody Smith were killed in the line of duty.”

Greene works as a detective in the Criminal Investigative Division with the Americus Police Department, a position he landed in early 2017, after a year of patrolling.

“It means a lot to me to have been chosen to receive this scholarship in memory of Nick, who I had the privilege to work beside,” Greene said. “APD Officer Nick Smarr and GSW Officer Jody Smith were killed in the line of duty in December 2016. Working in this division is actually what made me want to go back to school.”

According to Greene, an interest in the more “high-profile” cases, like the one that took the lives of two of Americus’ finest officers, inspired him to go back to school.

“I wanted to learn more about how to deal with high-profile cases and was looking for a challenge,” Greene said. “The timing was perfect for me to go back, and GSW was the right decision. I loved that the program was online because I work full-time, and Americus is home. “

According to Greene, going back to school has been tough, but it was the right decision.

“It’s worth it; it was definitely the right decision to go back to school,” he said. “The scholarship provided me the opportunity to purchase textbooks for my upcoming summer classes.”

Born and raised in Americus, Greene is a 2008 graduate of Americus-Sumter High School. After completing his core classes at GSW, Greene took a break from school, trying his hand at various jobs before enlisting in the National Guard in 2012. He is still an active member.

In June 2015, Greene received his associate’s degree in criminal justice, and in December 2015 he graduated from Law Enforcement Academy at South Georgia Technical College.

“Detective Greene has been a member of the APD family for almost three years,” Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said. “In that time, he has distinguished himself in both his personal and professional life. His energy and positive attitude are infectious, and we are proud of his accomplishments. I feel he is an excellent choice for this scholarship as he works to further his education.”

Greene is married and has an 8-year-old daughter.