Some of the earliest members of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force were on hand for a luncheon recently to wish former member and long-time DTF commander Lt. Mark Odom well in his retirement. The luncheon was held in the Covington County Commission Chambers and was well attended by Odom’s co-workers, former co-workers, family and friends.
Odom began his law enforcement career at the Andalusia Police Department more than 30 years ago. He joined the Covington County Sheriff’s Office during the administration of Sheriff Wilbur Mitchell and went on to work for three other sheriffs – Anthony Clark, Dennis Meeks, and Blake Turman. He was only the second officer of record to have served 25 years with the Covington County Sheriff’s Office.
Odom spent the majority of his career as a narcotics investigator. He joined the newly -formed 22nd Judicial Drug Task Force and remained a part of that organization until its disbandment in 2022. For the last 15 years of the DTF, Odom served as the commander.
“I have worked with Mark since I started at Andalusia Police Department,” APD Chief Paul Hudson said. “He has always been someone I looked up to and learned a lot from throughout the years. He has been a friend I could always call on when I needed something or had questions. He has been and will always be a great friend. His retiring leaves a huge void in our law enforcement community.”
Dormer DTF member and current APD Capt. Brett Holmes said, “Mark Odom is absolutely one of the finest law men to ever serve in Covington County. When you think of great men like Sheriff Pap Gantt, Chief Bill Shaw and Chief Investigator Gary Hutcheson, Mark most definitely ranks alongside these men. Over the past 30 years, Mark has been responsible for assisting in the training of two current police chiefs, three assistant police chiefs and the director of SBI, just to name a few. Covington County is a better place thanks to Mark Odom.”
APD’s Capt. Paul Dean, also a former DTF member, said, “Mark and I were in some really dangerous situations during our time together in Drug Task Force. I never worried when Mark was around because I knew he had my back.
“Mark is a great officer and an even better man,” Dean said. “I’m proud to have been able to work side by side with him for several years and I’m even more proud to call him my friend.”
Odom was one of the first five officers in the local area to be certified as a methamphetamine clandestine laboratory technician in Quantico , Va. During his tenure with the DTF, he was responsible for the removal of hundreds of methamphetamine labs, thousands of pounds of narcotics and countless arrests involving drug dealers, manufacturers, and users.
Odom was also a founding member of the Covington County Incident Response Team (IRT). He is a both basic and advanced Special Weapons and Tactics operator and one of the first to become certified in this area. Further, he was trained and certified as an FBI firearms instructor, as well as a sniper/observer.
Before stepping down from the IRT after 10 years of service, Odom was involved in dozens of successful operations as the team leader of the Sniper/Observer team.