He's been at the helm of the Cleveland Division of the FBI since 2010 -- making him the longest serving special agent in charge in Cleveland.
However, Steve Anthony is set to retire from the bureau after nearly 31 years of service.
Anthony became an FBI special agent in February of 1988. He was first assigned to Memphis where he investigated violent crime and criminal enterprise matters. It was there he established the city’s first Safe Streets Task Force and served as its coordinator for four years before being promoted to field supervisor in December 2000. In this role, he was responsible for violent crime, criminal enterprise, cyber and drug matters.
In 2003, his aspirations swung to the Executive Development and Selection Program at FBI Headquarters. He served as a supervisory special agent, unit chief and assistant section chief and oversaw the implementation of several significant policy changes, including a new management selection system for agents.
In February 2006, he was promoted as assistant special agent in charge at the Washington Field Office (WFO), where he oversaw all administrative matters and training programs.
By 2007, he was named special assistant to Director Robert Mueller, where he provided counsel on a variety of policy and administrative matters. In 2010, Mueller named Anthony special agent in charge of the FBI's Cleveland Division.
It was his dream job. A chance to go back home to Northeast Ohio. But with the new job came a lot of responsibility.
“When you're home and near home and where you went to school and where your friends are, there's just something different about it. In a good way, it adds a level of stress and anxiety to make sure we're doing our absolute best to protect the community,” Anthony said.
Under his watch, a number of newsworthy cases busted open. The list includes everything from the Facebook killer, to Cuyahoga County corruption, to various terrorism plots.
But there are two cases that stand out.
“Our three girls that were held captive for over ten years and rescued themselves, that’s one of those events that you'll never forget. Also being part of the RNC prep was a career highlight. To work with so many agencies, just fine people all trying to make Cleveland shine,” Anthony said.
He’s very humble and quick to remind that he wasn’t the one in the field doing the investigative work or putting handcuffs on suspects. But he created an atmosphere to benefit the agents and support staff who work to make Cleveland a better and safer place.
“To see the folks come to work every day with that dedication and singular purpose to make a difference, it's been wonderful and that I'm very proud of,” Anthony said.
To his successor, he advises continuing the collaboration with law enforcement partners and engaging with the community.
“Continue to focus on doing the right thing the right way to insure that we have an honest, independent, competent agency that the public can be proud of,” Anthony adds.
He is well aware of the negative press the agency has received on the national level. He hopes transparency will become the norm.
“We have to earn the trust of the people every day and it's hard to earn and you can lose it in a second, so I think whoever sits in this seat has to remember to wake up every day not just about the safety and security of the community and the safety of the folks that he or she works with, but making sure that every day every minute we represent the very best we can as public servants,” Anthony said.
He’ll retire at the end of 2018 but he’s already set to start a civilian job next year.
“I may be leaving the agency, but I'm definitely not leaving the community. I’m not leaving the law enforcement community, I'm going to continue to do whatever I can to be part of it and to help out in anyway small, big or in between,” Anthony added.