EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in Radio/TV Broadcasting, the University of Southern Indiana
RESUME: 21st Century Community Learning Centers site coordinator, Evans Middle School; student support advisor, Academy for Innovative Studies High School, Diamond Avenue; patrol officer, special projects coordinator, assistant chief of police, Evansville Police Department; Chief of Police, Evansville Police Department (January 2024-present)
HOMETOWN: Clarksville, Tennessee
FAMILY: Wife Jackie; children Jasmyn, 14, and Bryson, 13
Law enforcement was not Philip Smith’s endgame, but rather something he fell into. With his new role as chief of the Evansville Police Department, he plans to continue the department’s mission to protect and serve while exploring new ideas for outreach and retention.
“Not only are we going to continue doing what we’ve been doing, but we’re always looking for ways to improve,” Smith says.
YOU WORKED FOR THE EVANSVILLE VANDERBURGH SCHOOL CORPORATION BEFORE YOU WENT INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT. WHAT MADE YOU SHIFT CAREERS?
The grant I was working under [at EVSC] … was not going to be renewed. I was working at the alternative high school [in] college readiness. I met some police officers who worked off-duty there, and one of them convinced me to do a ride-along … He said, “Man, maybe you should apply for the police department.” I applied, and it went from “maybe this will work out” to “I need this to work out” when it was finally realized that I wouldn’t be brought back. The ride-along is really what got me over the hump.
DID YOU HAVE ANY MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BEING CHIEF?
It’s like riding shotgun and you see every- thing out of the windshield in the driver’s seat … but you don’t really know how the car handles until you get behind the wheel. That’s what being chief is like. You’re the decision-maker on whether you go left or right here. I was fortunate enough to work under one of the great chiefs [Billy Bolin], and I learned a lot from him.
VIOLENT CRIME IS A LOCAL CONCERN. WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ADDRESS THAT?
You have to have people that are dedicated… and want to keep people safe. You have to use technology to help you … good, old- fashioned investigation … partnerships, like The National Crime Gun Intelligence Center Initiative [and] the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office and sheriff’s office. Those partnerships help link crimes, criminals, and scenes together with evidence. You have to be active in your patrol, look at trends, see where the problems are, and go there.
The amount of heroin and fentanyl that’s attacking our community … has replaced some of the violent crime that subsided. We’re dealing with stuff … from overseas or across border lines … especially when you talk about crystal meth. So you have to have a functioning collaboration like the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force…. Assistant Chief Nathan Hassler was the former sergeant of the narcotics unit … I lean on his guidance a lot.
WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR DEPARTMENT’S LEGACY TO BE?
We have probably one of the most professional agencies in the land. We are transparent. We’re going to remain transparent. We can always look for ways to get better. So, the one thing that I want us to focus on is, on a day-to-day basis, how we treat each other when we interact. Not to say that we ever treat each other badly, but if you focus on treating the man or woman next to you like you want the people in your life to be treated that you love most, you will enjoy coming to this work. You’d be about ready to run through a wall for everybody here. And that’s what I want to leave as a legacy. I want people to say, “Well, he was the chief who united every last one of us together.”
