Service Spotlight: Lieutenant Brandi Garner

Service Spotlight: Lieutenant Brandi Garner

By: Joy Hampton

Lt. Brandi Garner is totally committed to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s vision to transform one life at a time, and she realizes she’s in a unique place to help with that mission in a major way. Garner works at the Cleveland County Detention Center, where she’s been at the heart of implementing many of the changes brought to the jail by Sheriff Todd Gibson. As a member of the jail leadership team, she’s also supplied a few ideas of her own.

“We see the bigger picture,” Garner said. “We understand that if we help people while they’re here, there’s a greater chance of making a positive transformation in their lives so we don’t see them again.”

Garner works closely with Program Coordinator Kassy Patterson. Together, they came up with the idea of a special Reset Pod, which is a program that helps jail inmates make a change for the better through assistance with substance abuse and mental health issues.

“I understand what it’s like to be in a tough spot and to have a low sense of self-esteem and low self-worth,” Garner said. “I know how intimidating it can be to connect with community colleges and places of learning. The idea was to bring those resources to the inmates while they’re here.”

Garner grew up in south Oklahoma City and attended U.S. Grant High School, but she dropped out prior to graduation and moved in with a boyfriend who turned out to be abusive. When she made the decision to turn her life around, she ended that relationship and got her GED, but it was a challenging journey. She had to overcome her own feelings of low self-worth to achieve her goals. That experience allows her to empathize with inmates who want to change but struggle with feelings of inferiority.

“When you talk to the people here, a lot of them will tell you they don’t have a high sense of self-esteem,” she said. “While I didn’t make criminal choices, I can understand a little bit of what they’re going through… feeling like other people will judge them because of the decisions they’ve made.”

Garner now has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration, and she is a certified emergency medical technician. She started her career in law enforcement as a reserve officer for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics in 2014. A year later, she signed up to be a reserve with the sheriff’s department. In 2016, she began working at the county jail where she has worked her way up through the ranks to lieutenant a little over a year ago.

“Lt. Brandi Garner is one of our biggest success stories,” said Gibson. “Her work ethic and commitment to this office have made her an invaluable asset.” Gibson said Garner is an extremely hard worker and maintains a positive attitude. “No matter what we throw at her, she steps up to the plate and gets it done,” he said. “Garner is setting a new standard across the state of Oklahoma for jails and criminal justice reform. Her work has caught the attention of criminal justice decision makers statewide.” Garner said working at the Cleveland County Detention Center is more than a job — it’s a calling.

“I think you have to be passionate about it,” she said. “Working at the jail is not for everyone. It wasn’t my first career choice, but I needed a job and used it to get my foot in the door. Once I was here, I loved it.”

Garner also manages data collection and analysis of jail statistics, serves on several community interface boards either as a member or as a substitute for other staff members. She also makes presentations for various civic and community groups, helps recruit jail employees at job fairs and supervises clerks, maintenance and other administrative jail staff. In addition to all that, she directs the jail’s Gang Intelligence Unit.

“I am very passionate about what I’m doing, and I believe in our mission, vision and values very strongly,” Garner said. “I believe that’s the direction law enforcement needs to be heading. We are servants, and I feel like this is where I’m called to be right now.”

Lt. Brandi Garner at a recent career recruiting event.