EPD Chief Phil Smith selects Evansville native to take on assistant chief role

EVANSVILLE — Newly appointed chief of police Phil Smith has selected a 14-year member of the department to serve as his assistant chief.

Smith announced Wednesday morning that Nathan Hassler would take on the role with the Evansville Police Department. The announcement comes two days after Mayor Stephanie Terry announced Smith would be her selection for chief of police.

According to a news release, Hassler is an Evansville native who joined EPD in 2010. He's worked as a motor patrol officer and been a member of the mobile field force, gang task force and served as a field training officer.

According to Courier & Press archives, about four years into his career with EPD, Hassler was one of the responding officers to a 2014 West Franklin Street apartment fire that killed three members of one family, including 3-year-old Jazmine Jones, her mother Keri Jones, 28, and 76-year-old Donald Lankford, Keri's grandfather. Eight others were injured.

Christopher Compton was accused of arson in the blaze and ultimately found guilty but mentally ill of three counts of murder. Hassler testified at the trial and his bodycam video was shown in the proceedings.

In 2016, Hassler became a detective with the meth suppression unit. Five years later he was promoted to sergeant, where he supervised motor patrol on the West side, according to the news release.

Most recently Hassler supervised detectives in the Evansville-Vanderburgh Joint Drug Task Force.

The news release states Hassler is "looking forward to drawing on his experience to assist Chief Smith in making the Evansville Police Department a better and more effective department for not only the employees, but also for the citizens in which we serve."

Hassler lives in Evansville with his wife and three children.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: EPD Chief Phil Smith selects Evansville native to be assistant chief