Gibson pledges more patrols for Farragut
Since Gibson has no Democratic opponents in the General Election, he can set his sights on being sworn into office. While doing so, he reaffirmed his commitment to provide more officers in Farragut and Knox County.
“I love the people in Farragut, and they need to get treated exactly the same as everybody else,” the candidate said. “We’re going to put more people on the streets, period.
“So, those places that have more population than other places are going to get more people,” Gibson said. “We’re going to figure it out. We’re going to do what’s right for Farragut.
“I’m going to allocate more people to the street,” he promised. “Our traffic unit’s going to step up and do some traffic enforcement. My idea of policing is a little different from the current administration.
We’re going to do the best we can … because that’s what I am; I’m a cop,” Gibson said. “That’s all I’ve ever done my entire career.”
Regarding another precinct in Farragut, he conceded, “I don’t know yet.
“Until the new mayor of Farragut is in [office], I don’t know what [his or her] plans are or what [he/she] has got going on,” Gibson said, adding he has talked to the individuals running for mayor, and “I’ve made a vow to do what’s right for Farragut, so if there’s a precinct in the works, I’m open … but it’s got to make sense.
“If there’s a place for us to have one, and it makes financial sense, we’ll do that, too,” he said. “I’ve been promised by everyone who’s running for mayor that we’d have a great working relationship.
“I don’t know who’s going to win, who’s going to be in charge, but whoever it is, it doesn’t matter,” Gibson said. “There’s still in Knox County. I’m going to do what’s right for what Farragut needs.”
Gibson’s commitment to Farragut comes on the heels of a debate in the news between Farragut Mayor Ron Williams and Knox County Sheriff’s Office, which started with a letter from the mayor to the sheriff, asking for more open communication and asked that another precinct
be re-opened in Town. That
letter was followed by a TV newscast, in which Williams said “We pay our property
tax; and out of that property tax, we’re supposed to have police protection, and we have none.”
After the newscast, Williams received a letter from the sheriff, calling the mayor a liar.
In the letter, he was told, “You knew there had been no decrease in patrol officer numbers or patrol officer hours in your town” and “You owe the men and women of this agency an immediate apology.”
“I wasn’t lying,” the mayor responded. “When I said ‘we have none,’ it means the one police officer, Capt. Brad Hall, that we had is still reassigned to the jail in East Knoxville, where he has been since September.
“We have no complaints with the type of protection we have, when we have it,” he said. “It’s just that we no longer have the police out here like we had before.”
Regarding the apology, “I don’t think I have anything to apologize for,” Williams replied. “Lack of communication is a big problem. They need to apologize.”
When Pinnacle/Crawford Square had a potential new tenant for the space in which the sheriff’s office had its precinct, the sheriff's office moved in October 2025 to Cedar Bluff.
