Gainesville Police Officer Ben Tobias had a knack for going viral as the agency's spokesman.
The face of the Gainesville Police Department for the past six years, who has spent time policing, speaking with reporters, and unintentionally and sometimes inexplicably going viral on social media, has announced his resignation.
Officer Ben Tobias, who spent 14 years with the department, announced Monday he's leaving to take a job as a senior media consultant for Allstate’s national media team.
In his new role, Tobias will find and pitch stories to national media outlets about success within Allstate’s company, he said.
“I’ll be working for a Fortune 500 company from home,” Tobias said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”
Tobias’ knack for social media, he said, helped kick-start a new career in consulting for a large corporation — a much safer career, and closer to his Clay County home.
During his time as public information officer for GPD, Tobias first went viral after posting an endearing Facebook video of Officer Bobby White playing basketball with children on the street, instead of reprimanding them like the person who called to report a noise complaint wanted.
The post was seen millions of times on Facebook and shared nearly 350,000 times.
Tobias found himself in the spotlight again in August 2017 after he posted a tweet condemning President Trump for encouraging police to not “be too nice” when arresting suspects — some saying the comments promoted police brutality.
“I'm a cop,” Tobias’ tweet read. “I do not agree with or condone @POTUS remarks today on police brutality.
“Those that applauded and cheered should be ashamed.”
His personal tweet, which had hundreds of thousands of likes and shares, led him to appearances on CNN.
Finally, and perhaps the most viral, Tobias posted a picture of three police officers on GPD’s Facebook to help highlight the department’s efforts to help the community after Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
The photo won over many women’s hearts — many of them swooning over the men’s good looks.
The post reached 53 million people and made it to media outlets like Good Morning America and the Washington Post.
“I’ve found my niche in PR, speaking with local and national media,” Tobias said. “And yeah, I’m sure Allstate looked at the multiple viral moments I had under my belt. I’ve tried to study the mathematics behind (going viral), but I still don’t know how it happens. I just know you can’t force it.”
Tobias, 39, started his career in Gainesville in 2005 when his wife was in law school at the University of Florida.
One night, he told her he really wanted to be an English teacher, but he also thought it’d be rewarding to be a police officer.
“She said, ‘Well, what’s holding you back?’ And there wasn’t one reason I could think of to not be a police officer," Tobias said. “I went to the police academy the next day and asked how to get this thing started.”
When he wasn't going viral, Tobias patrolled the city and worked as a tactical flight officer with GPD and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office's Joint Aviation Unit.
“These are things I couldn’t have dreamed of doing before I became a police officer,” Tobias said. “Being a patrol officer, it was incredible seeing people at their worst times and bringing that chaos back to order … the best memories I have are of the people I was able to help.”
Tobias said he’s excited that his new job will allow him to spend more time with his family. He joked that his son told him it was OK that he wouldn't have a cool job as a police officer anymore.
“I cannot tell you how, as a father of a young child, how great it will be to take him to school and pick him up from school,” he said. “To be able to spend more time with my son and wife — you can’t put a price on it.”
Assistant Police Chief Terry Pierce applauded Tobias’ time at the police department.
“What an incredible job the man has done. The impact he’s had on social media has been incredible,” Pierce said.
Tobias conceded he wasn't mistake-free as a spokesman, but said he enjoyed the post.
“It’s been an honor to be the face and voice of this agency,” he said. “These are memories I’ll never forget.”
Tobias' resignation is effective Oct. 26.
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