‘The guy that stands in front of the tv,’ meet EPD’s newest Public Information Officer
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - There’s a particular face you’ll arguably see more than any officer with motor patrol or other specialized units within the Evansville Police Department, the Public Information Officer.
That’s the person speaking to the media on behalf of the department, writing up press releases, and generally just being the face of the force.
To Sergeant Anthony Aussieker though, it’s a bit less nuanced than that.
“I’m just, I’m Anthony Aussieker,” he says. “I’m not from here, but I love it here. You guys adopted me whether you wanted me or not, but we love it here, and we want to be a part of this community and a valuable part of the community.”
Hailing originally from southern Illinois and joining EPD after a stint working with East St. Louis Police, Aussieker, like so many others, never necessarily saw his future in Evansville, let alone as a police officer.
“It was never something I thought, ‘yeah, I can’t wait to grow up and be a cop,’ you know? I wanted to be an attorney, but it all worked out and it’s been awesome,” says Aussieker.
Following a string of jobs including serving at an Olive Garden and a few years with the Indiana Department of Child Services, Aussieker says he’s found his home in Evansville and with EPD.
Choosing to raise his family, a wife and three boys, in the area was made easier by what he says was an immediate family atmosphere.
“When I came on EPD, Phil Smith was one of my academy brothers. Josh Brewer, Blake Hollins, Drew Murray,” recalls Aussieker, “we got to go to work with our friends, and that’s been kind of my experience throughout my career.”
“We’ve had great relationships in being friends with people. So, like yeah, you’re going to work, but you also get to spend some time with some really awesome people. So for me, I think that’s what it was,” he says.
Now in his 12th year with EPD and 14th in law enforcement, Aussieker could certainly be considered somewhat of a veteran on the force, doing his time with motor patrol and several different units.
For this new role though, it’s back to square one. He’s only a few months in but quickly getting his feet wet.
“The PIO spot was something that I wanted, that I was passionate about and excited for the opportunity, so when the email came through saying that there was an opening and we could apply, I jumped on that,” says Aussieker.
Now in the role he says he was always shooting for, Aussieker says he’s got the unique opportunity to follow in the foot steps of so many other officers who have done this gig.
His goal? To just try to add his own spin and push things even further.
What that looks like specifically, he’s says still figuring out, but he’s got a few guiding principals he’s following along the way.
Mainly, as the new face of the department for lack of a better term, he wants to be more than just a face.
“When you can see a police officer as a person,” says Aussieker, “it’s disarming because then it’s not just a police uniform.”
“For me that’s the thing is always being transparent and open and approachable, you know? So people don’t just see like, ‘oh, that’s the guy that stands in front of the tv,’ they can be like, ‘oh no that’s Anthony,’” he says.
While he traverses his new role, *Anthony, the ‘guy that stands in front of the tv,’ is still sure to make some time to smell the roses.
“It’s something that I did, I looked forward to a lot, and now I’m here and I’m like, ‘for real?’ So it’s still kind of like, I can’t believe it happened,” says Aussieker.
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