Police chief looks back on career of Brownsville officer
BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — The City of Brownsville is mourning the loss of a local hero.
The Brownsville Police Department lost an officer, but most importantly a friend: Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Rankin.
Rankin died Dec. 28 due to complications with pancreatic cancer and liver failure at the age of 57.
Rankin started his career in law enforcement in 1989 with the city’s police department.
“He was just a true friend and brother to everybody, and he will be deeply missed by the police department and the community,” said Barry Diebold, Chief of the Brownsville Police Department.
Diebold says that Rankin was a man of the people, and he helped start a safe haven for anyone affected by domestic violence or abuse.
“He’s been the driving force behind our domestic violence center, which is called One Safe Place. Tony was a real driving force behind that,” Diebold said.
Diebold said that him and Rankin worked 70 hour weeks together, developing and fixing the domestic violence center in Brownsville.
“Tony liked to experiment with electricity,” Diebold said. “Instead of trying to find the source and turn off the power, it’ll usually find him. We would hear every once and a while an ‘Ow.’ And that was Tony [finding] the wrong wire.”
One employee at One Safe Place, Katy Cowan, says she owes her job to Rankin, and adds that he served as a mentor to her in her pursuits with social work.
“He was dedicated to his work, his family, and his community. He made it his life work, and I missed him so much,” Cowan said.
Brownsville city officials say they are helping to support the Rankin family in their time of need.
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