ABLE Executive Director

Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Brandon Clabes came to the Oklahoma City area in 1964.

Clabes graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1979 with bachelor’s in public administration. Clabes was hired by the Midwest City Police Department as a patrol officer. He was promoted through the ranks and served as Assistant Chief under two separate administrations.

In August of 1999, Clabes was appointed Police Chief and was honored to work daily with the Department’s 131 employees. He is the longest serving Chief in the history of the agency.

Clabes has been married 32 years to his beautiful wife Sandy and they have three wonderful children, Collin, Age: 30, Morgan, Age: 27 and Gabriella who is 23. This is one of his greatest accomplishments. He also has a two year old grandson named Cash.

Clabes is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, United States Secret Service Dignitary Protective Services program, past president of the Metro Chief’s Association, a longtime board member for the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police (a state-wide organization). He is an adjunct professor at Rose State College and was on the Advisory Board of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for Prevention of Terrorism.

Clabes was appointed by Governor Mary Fallin as commissioner for the Department of Human Services in 2012, commissioner for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in 2013, and to the Board of Regents for Rose State College in 2016. He was reappointed to the Board of Regents for Rose State College in 2023 by Governor J. Kevin Stitt. Clabes also served on the Oklahoma Commission for School Security with former Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb and was appointed to serve as a member of the Department of Justice Public Safety Medal of Valor Review Board by Paul Ryan, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. This is the highest award given to public safety by the President of the United States. He was reappointed in July of 2022 by the Honorable Kevin McCarthy, Republican Leader of the United States House of Representatives. In January of 2019, former Attorney General Mike Hunter appointed Clabes to serve on the Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board to represent all municipal police agencies.

Clabes retired from the Midwest City Police Department in May 2021 and began as Executive Director of the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) in Ada, Oklahoma on May 17, 2021.

On October 1, 2022. Clabes become the new state director of Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission (ABLE).