After serving three years in the military, Deputy Commissioner Bob Gorder relocated to Alaska in 1976. He became an Alaska State Trooper in 1978, serving in many communities and roles throughout his almost 22 years of service. He was stationed in Ketchikan, Sitka, Anchorage and Fairbanks. He was a patrol trooper, DPS Academy instructor, patrol supervisor, post commander, Judicial Services commander, headquarters staff officer and ended his career as the DPS Academy commander. He was a member of the Tactical Dive Unit as well as a nine-year member of the Department's competition shooting team.
After his retirement from DPS in 1999, Deputy Commissioner Gorder accepted the position of Chief of Police in Sitka. After almost four years as chief, he and his wife, Susan, retired to Arizona. They have an adult daughter living in Texas.
At the request of Commissioner Joseph Masters, Gorder returned to Alaska in December 2008 to coordinate the start-up of the new Office of Professional Standards for the Department. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner on July7, 2009.
Upon his appointment, Deputy Commissioner Gorder stated, "I am very excited to be back working with the Department of Public Safety. Reconnecting with old and new acquaintances has been a pleasure. I look forward to providing all the support I can to the men and women who make up the backbone of this department. In my eyes, I have a very simple job description: Further the Commissioner’s goals and use my position to obtain all the resources I can to help the employees provide the best level of services they can to the citizens of this great State."
