Interim Chief Mark Gibson will be Cleveland’s Chief of Police beginning Monday. Chief Gibson will begin his duties then and will take his official oath of office during the official City Council meeting the following Monday at 3 p.m. The public is invited to attend. There will be a reception following the City Council meeting to be held in the Police Service Center Community Room.
City Manager Janice Casteel said, “The process has been good for our community, and I appreciate the members of the Interview Panel who assisted with the selection of the finalists, crafted the questions used in the interviews, and conducted the public interview sessions.
Their thoughts about each candidate’s answers to the interview questions were extremely helpful.
I will always be grateful for Dr. Paul Conn, Chamber President Robert Bradney, and Police Consultant Larry Wallace’s assistance in the interview process for our Chief of Police. It was a good process to look at the qualities of each candidate.
Mayor Rowland, several members of our City Council, and several citizens attended the public interviews. The questions submitted by the public were also helpful. Some were used in the public interviews and some were used in my final interview with the candidates.
”The fact that we received 36 applications, reviewed them all and narrowed them down to the final three makes me feel comfortable today that we had the best of the best. The final three included Captain Jessie Brooks of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Chief Tim Christol of Red Bank, and Interim Chief Mark Gibson. After several months and numerous hours of research and interviews, I realized we had the right person within our own department. This was confirmed to me by the numerous calls and letters from area law-enforcement leaders as well as members of the public."
Ms. Casteel also said that she “appreciates the prayers of the community and expressed special thanks to those who have contacted her over the past several months. Chief Gibson has been described by the public as 'a man of character, a positive person who loves his family, the Cleveland Police Department, his city, and his country.' "
She said that one community person said that “Mark’s character and maturity have been demonstrated by how he has handled the ‘bad’, because it’s easy when things are ‘good’.” Another citizen described Chief Gibson as “a man who has proven his ability to lead the Cleveland Police Department and who has earned the public’s respect through the professional manner he deals with issues”. Another said this about Chief Gibson, “Mark’s unwavering dedication to his profession is demonstrated by the characteristics that he displays each day in all situations in life. I personally know Mark to be a family man with strong moral ethics. I believe that his focus will be on serving the well-being of the citizens of Cleveland and upholding the responsibilities of the office of Police Chief.” Others spoke of his moral integrity, extreme love of his family and the department, and that he will be an upstanding role model.
“One thing to me that has proven his character and leadership ability is that he was willing to assume the Interim Chief position, and he chose to serve without Captains. He proved his leadership ability by delegating authority to strengthen his chain of command.”
City Manager Casteel said she encourages everyone "to support the Cleveland Police Department – our new Police Chief and every officer of the department who daily protect and serve our city."
Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson said, "I am very pleased at the selection of longtime Cleveland Police Captain Mark Gibson as the city’s new police chief. I consider Mark a strong colleague, as we both believe in truthfulness and transparency in law enforcement, as well as expecting only the highest in character and best in behavior from the men and women employed by our agencies.
"Chief Gibson and I have met numerous times during his time as interim chief of the Cleveland Police Department, seeking ways to cooperate more fully in today’s often-dangerous climate. From working to assimilate our SWAT team operations through sharing and becoming more familiar with equipment BCSO and CPD use, to simply making upgrades to our daily cooperation by backing each other up on calls in the city area. In short, Chief Mark Gibson and I are on the same page.
"We expect much from the men and women we employ as officers and in other positions, while those employees, as well as the public we serve, should expect the same from us.
"Congratulations to Mark Gibson from all of us at the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, on your selection as permanent chief of police for the city of Cleveland."