JUST IN: Mayor Terry Announces Her Appointments For Chiefs Of The Police Department And Fire Department

January 29, 2024

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry today announced her appointments for chiefs of the Evansville Police Department and Evansville Fire Department, as well as plans for hiring an in-house City Attorney.

“I know these are high-profile appointments and appointments that the public has been asking about since I took office on January 1,” Mayor Terry said. “These are incredibly important appointments; public safety is a top priority, providing a safe and secure environment, so ensuring that we have the right people to lead those areas has been my focus and the focus of my dedicated transition team who worked alongside me in this process.”

Mayor Terry announced the following appointments at a news conference this morning:

Philip Smith, Chief, Evansville Police Department: Philip Smith has served on the Evansville Police Department since January of 2013. He’s served as an officer in motor patrol, worked in the administration’s public information office as the department’s Special Projects Coordinator, and has served as the department’s Assistant Chief of Police since 2021. Smith has been recognized locally and nationally for his involvement and efforts in community policing. In 2020 he was recognized by then-United States Attorney General William Barr with the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing. Before his career in law enforcement, he worked in the EVSC serving the youth of the Evansville community. Smith lives in Evansville with his family and looks forward to continuing his service to the citizens of Evansville under the Terry administration.

Anthony Knight, Chief, Evansville Fire Department: Tony Knight has worked with the Evansville Fire Department for 20 years, most recently as the Chief of Health and Safety. He has been a Licensed Paramedic for the past 21 years, serves as a Curriculum Development Specialist with the Indiana Fire and Public Safety Academy, and was a member of Indiana FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One (INTF-1) for 7 years as a Hazardous Materials Specialist. Tony enjoys spending his time away from work with his wife Kerri, his children (Chase and Shelby), and his step-children (Kaedin, Gavin, Ava, and Hudson).

In addition, Mayor Terry announced her plans to seek an in-house legal team for the city.

“In the past, the city has hired an outside firm to represent the majority of our legal needs,” Mayor Terry said. “In examining our options with my transition team, we concluded that hiring an individual attorney to work out of the mayor’s office – and to focus exclusively on issues affecting the city – would be the most efficient option both financially and in terms of serving the needs of our city departments.”

Because this option would involve creating a new position in city government, the plan requires approval from the City Council. Mayor Terry said she plans to bring her recommendation to the next Council meeting on February 12, 2024.