Law enforcement and other first responders will receive special recognition at this Sunday's Dallas Cowboys game against the Philadelphia Eagles. On Sunday, December 2, 2012, hundreds of local police officers, firefighters, and officials with state and federal agencies will participate in First Responders Appreciation Day at Cowboys Stadium. The event will include special pre-game and halftime ceremonies designed to pay tribute to this extraordinary group of heroes for the personal sacrifices they make for the safety of others.

During the pre-game ceremony, there will be a tribute to first responders who have died in the line of duty. Arlington Police Officer Jillian Michelle Smith, badge #2650, will be one of those honored.

On December 28, 2010, Officer Smith responded to take a report call that came into 911 after the suspect left the location. As Officer Smith talked to the victim and her 11-year-old daughter, the assailant returned with a gun. The man, who was the estranged boyfriend of the woman living there, began shooting. Officer Smith shielded the woman's daughter by placing herself between the shooter and young girl. Both Officer Smith and the woman died in the home. However, the young girl survived and was able to get away.

Officer Smith, who was 24 years old, was an Arlington native. She graduated from Seguin High School in 2005 and also earned her Bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Texas at Arlington in August 2009. At a young age, she told her family that she planned on becoming an officer and joined the Arlington Police Department in February 2010, as a member of Class #41.

During the short time Jillian was a police officer, she was living her dream. Officer Smith's family is scheduled to attend the pre-game ceremony and stand up for her memory.