Brandon Clabes

Board Member

Born in Lawton, Brandon Clabes came to the Oklahoma City area in 1964 and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1979 with a bachelor’s in public administration. He was hired by the Midwest City Police Department as a patrol officer and was promoted through the ranks, serving as assistant chief under two administrations. In 1999, Brandon was sworn in as police chief and was honored to work with the department’s 131 employees daily until retiring in 2021 as the longest-serving chief in the agency’s history. After retiring, he served as executive director of the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) and is currently the state director of Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) commission. 

Brandon was appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma as commissioner for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in 2012 and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics in 2013. He also served on the Oklahoma Commission on School Security and, in 2016, was appointed to the Board of Regents for Rose State College, where he is an adjunct professor.  

In 2019 the Oklahoma Attorney General appointed Brandon to the Oklahoma Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board where he represents all municipal police agencies. He has also served as past president of the Metro Chief’s Association, a longtime board member for the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and was on the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for Prevention of Terrorism Advisory Board. 

Brandon is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the U.S. Secret Service Dignitary Protective Services program. He was appointed by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017 and again in 2022 to serve on the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Review Board. This is the highest national award for valor given by the President of the United States to public safety officers. 

Brandon considers his family to be one of his greatest accomplishments and has been married to his beautiful wife Sandy since 1991. Together they have three wonderful children, Collin, Morgan, and Gabriella, and grandson named Cash.