Kasandra Smith, born in West Memphis, Arkansas, is the second of five children.
Through her parents’ love and support with emphasis on family, helping others, work ethics, and
education, she was imparted strong morals and methods to achieve goals. She was taught to
remain loyal and dedicated through all tasks. She is now the mother of two adult children of her
own and a grandmother of three.
In 2000, Kasandra moved to Memphis, Tennessee and began her career with the Memphis Police Department as a Police Service Technician (PST). In 2001, Kasandra became a law enforcement officer with the Memphis Police Department, where she dedicated her life to change, protect, serve, empower, and save lives. While on the job, she earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Management and a Master of Business Administration through Bethel University.
Through her work at the Memphis Police Department, Kasandra has had the opportunity to work in units across the board including Uniform Patrol Division, Organized Crime Unit, the Vice Unit, the Criminal Apprehension Team, the Drug Unit, Officer in School, Crisis Intervention Team, Special Victims Unit (Sex Crimes), Community Outreach Program Unit. Promoted to sergeant in 2021 and was assigned to Homicide Bureau. 2024, Kasandra Smith promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant assigned to Airways Station, and currently assigned to CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) Because of this, Kasandra has extensive knowledge and experience of the many issues that need to be addressed in our community.
Due to life changing experiences, Kasandra is a motivated advocate against domestic and sexual violence. In order to bring awareness and advocacy to this issue, she has created and assisted in several public events including the Annual Shine the Light on Domestic Violence rally, the Memphis Support Project Unbreakable, and the Annual Race Against Sexual Violence 5K. In 2012, she became a member of the speaker bureau with RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) where she shared her story. In an effort to reduce domestic, and sexual violence in Shelby County, she became the 2013 Vice President and 2015 President of the Memphis/Shelby County Domestic and Sexual Violence Council.
Through her position on this council, she has continued to advocate and work for the people of Shelby County, assisting in creating such events as Treasure of the Heart, a Mother’s Day event. She continued to serve by attending the Senator Tommy Burks Victim Assistance Academy at University of Tennessee, Chattanooga where she completed a week-long training in June 2017. Kasandra is a member of the Shelby County Democratic Women and the former chair over the Legislative Committee for Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women.
Kasandra Smith worked in the Community Outreach Program Unit (COP) in which she implemented a Youth Crime Watch program in Douglas High School in Memphis, Tennessee. She assists with organizing the annual Youth Crime Watch Conference in which over nine hundred students from within the Shelby County School district attended in October 2017. Kasandra Smith and Clayton Turner created Memphis Girls Rock where over 1,300 girls from Shelby County Schools and Charter Schools attended the conference. Moreover, she is a motivational speaker for K-12 students concerning various topics, such as bullying, conflict resolution, respecting authority, self-respect, financial literacy, sexual violence, dream killer, hiding behind the mask and domestic violence. Most importantly, she remains committed to enforcing laws while servicing, protecting, and engaging with communities to save lives and bridge the gap between communities and law enforcement officers.
