Gibson ready to lead Knox County Sheriff’s Office
“It didn’t seem real at the time,” he said about learning he had won the election. While he was confident in how he ran his campaign, “you never know. You never know who’s going to show up to vote.
“I knocked on a lot of doors and talked to a lot of people and presented myself in a way that I felt confident in the product I was trying to put out there,” Gibson said. “I wanted to portray that I actually do want to make a difference in Knox County and have an effect on the safety of our citizens.”
Once in office, Gibson said “right at first, there’s going to be a transition period” before putting his staff in place and “making sure we got the right people in the right place.”
“There is going to be more officers, more visibility and top-notch communication,” Gibson added. “I think it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but it’s going to be fun, too.”
The 25-year law enforcement veteran ran against fellow Republicans David Amburn, Mike Davis and Jimmy “J.J.” Jones and won Tuesday’s May 5 primary election. He will replace term-limited Sheriff Tom Spangler, who was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.
Of the more than 44,000 people who voted in the May 5 primary election, Gibson received 19,672 votes, or 44.14 percent, compared to Amburn’s 30.16 percent, Davis’ 14.2 percent and Jones’ 11.5 percent.
Because no Democratic candidate is seeking the office, Gibson will be sworn in this fall.
A former assistant chief deputy with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Gibson said, “I spent my whole adult life working [with the sheriff’s office], so I know exactly the kind of people I want to put in places to make our sheriff’s office more efficient and productive.
“It will take some time.”
However, Gibson emphasized the sheriff’s office “is not about me; it’s about the people of Knox County and the people of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
“That’s where I’m going to be a whole lot different from other people,” he said. “I’m kind of a private person. I do the job not for public recognition or anything like that. I do it for the people at the sheriff’s office. They put in long hours and hard work every day. They’re going to make it work. It’s a team effort.”
Gibson joined KCSO in 1999 and retired in 2024. He spent 17 years on patrol before being promoted to positions including sergeant, lieutenant and captain. He also served on KCSO’s SWAT team before becoming assistant chief deputy.
Before joining the sheriff’s office, Gibson was a four-year letterman for the University of Tennessee football team from 1992 to 96. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree.
“I always knew I wanted to go into law enforcement,” Gibson said. “I really did enjoy the time on patrol, protecting the public.”
In his May 5 victory speech, he told supporters, “We’ve
got a lot of work to do. We’re going to have a great time at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. I’m so looking forward to it.
“I plan to work hard and work as hard as we can, and we’re going to do right by
Knox County, I promise you that,” Gibson said, adding his vision is to “give citizens the leadership they deserve, rooted in accountability, trust and conservative values.”
