Answering the Call

Todd Gibson leaves post as county sheriff, transitions to Moore chief of police

BY; Lindsay Cuomo

Todd Gibson has spent his professional career as a civil servant, working at various levels of law enforcement, ranging from positions as patrol officer, detective, first line supervision, command level leadership to, most recently, Cleveland County Sheriff.

He has worked as the commander of the Criminal Investigations Division, Norman SWAT Team and the East Patrol Division for the Norman Police Department.

“I honestly believe that for most law enforcement professionals the job is a calling,” Gibson shared. “The calling is based off of a desire to serve others and to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves."

“I feel like I have always been called to this line of work, even from a young age.”

Gibson’s father was a Norman police officer and worked for both the Norman Police Department and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office. Despite his familial connection to law enforcement, Gibson never thought he would one day become sheriff.

“Becoming the Cleveland County Sheriff is a role that I thought I never would have been able to attain,” he shared, considering it an honor to serve the people of Cleveland County. “I have met so many wonderful and caring people. I have developed friendships with people that I would have never met and now will have a lifelong friendship with.”

During his two-year tenure as sheriff, Gibson worked to enhance the sheriff office’s persona, working to increase transparency, leadership and training. He pointed to an overall philosophical change as the driving force behind reaching the goals he set for the agency.

“We instituted a strong mission, vision, values based philosophy to all levels of the sheriff’s office,” Gibson said. “It is everyone’s permission slip to do good, to do the right thing.”

Working in accordance with those ideals, Gibson said he made changes at every level.

“We have made a host of equipment upgrades, facility upgrades and employment pay upgrades. There is not an area of the sheriff’s office that we have not touched. The Cleveland County jail has become the top jail in the state of Oklahoma, a model that others follow. We are the first jail in the nation to have a Department of Justice Citizens Advisory Board.”

Programs like PACT Police Community Trust Initiative were established to increase communication with the community. He also championed a community outreach program called Handle with Care, a partnership with area schools designed to help students who have experienced emotional trauma.

“One of the best things about being sheriff is that you have so many opportunities to touch people’s lives,” Gibson said. “There is always an opportunity to do good and to lift people up. I have been fortunate enough to work with other community leaders to help people during some of their most difficult times.”

Gibson said he plans to bring many of the same goals to the Moore Police Department.

“The Moore Police Department is a great agency with tremendous city and community support. However, they have experienced quite a bit of change at the executive leadership level over the last 12 to 18 months. Leadership drives culture in any organization.

“My desire is to infuse strong leadership and stabilize the culture so that we can get moving forward into the future. I want to be transparent and be a close part of the community at all levels of the department, always working to build trust and legitimacy within the community to make sure that we are all unified, heading in the same direction.”

In the midst of a global pandemic, Gibson finds himself once again taking the lead in uncertain times. When he was first selected as interim sheriff, former sheriff Joe Lester unexpectedly retired a few months into his most-recently elected term.

“This is a very unique time in history, like something I have never seen before,” Gibson said. “We are making adjustments, but want to make sure that the public knows we are still here to protect them and serve them. I think that one day we will look back and reminisce about this time, laugh a little and tell the next generation how we survived the COVID-19 times.”

Gibson said that Cleveland County is in good hands under interim Sheriff Blake Green.

“They will continue to move forward in a positive, upward trajectory.”

But, he encourages voters to do their part to ensure that continues.

“At the end of the day the future of the sheriff’s office is in the hands of the people of Cleveland County. This is a complex office with a lot of moving parts. It is important to have the right person overseeing and being a good steward of the people’s money.” -19SM