COM M U N I T Y
Leading by Learning Moore Police Chief Todd Gibson (center) serves as a commissioner for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
M
oore Police Chief Todd Gibson believes a big part of leading is learning. As the newest member of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Commission, Gibson hopes the axiom he believes in holds true. “Every day that I put on this uniform and carry out my role, whatever role that is within law enforcement, but especially in a leadership role, I absolutely learn something,” the law enforcement veteran explained. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt asked Gibson to lend both his desire to learn and his law enforcement expertise to OBN’s commission earlier this year. The state senate confirmed Gibson in April. Gibson’s law enforcement experience is vast. He began his career at the Warr Acres Police Department in the 1990s. He then joined the Norman Police Department in 1998, retiring as a Captain in 2016. While with NPD, Gibson served as division commander of patrol and criminal investigations. He also served as incident commander during multiple natural disasters in Cleveland County (including the 2010 and 2013 tornadoes).
20 July 2021
Gibson was recognized as Norman’s Supervisor of the Year in 2012. He was also named Officer of the Year at Warr Acres PD in 1996 and again in 1997. Gibson served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and earned degrees in corrections and criminal justice from Oklahoma City Community College and the University of Central Oklahoma. In 2017, Gibson was named Cleveland County Sheriff following the early retirement of former sheriff Joe Lester. He was elected to that office in 2018. The seven-member commission is the governance arm of OBN. The commission includes one sheriff, one police chief, one district attorney and four lay members. Commission members are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Senate. Gibson says his chief concern as a member of the commission will be the men and women charged with carrying out its enforcement activities. “I absolutely want to make sure that the men and women of the bureau have everything they need to be successful,” Gib-
