Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs doesn’t follow rules. He is the rules. Somewhere between building boats in his basement and staring into your soul through a two-way mirror, Gibbs developed a personal constitution — a laminated, coffee-stained scroll of commandments passed down like sacred lore to bewildered agents and terrified interns alike. Part field manual, part therapy avoidance technique, and entirely carved from red oak and gruffness, these rules aren’t just guidelines. They are the DNA of NCIS, stitched into every bullet casing, coffee cup, and long, meaningful stare. He instills these rules in everyone in his team.
The Rules
Of the fifty-one rules only twenty-three have been revealed. So here are the known fragments of The Gospel According to Gibbs.
- Rule 1: Never let suspects stay together. (Yankee White, 1.01)
- Rule 1: Never screw over your partner. (Blowback, 4.14)
- Rule 2: Always wear gloves at a crime scene. (Yankee White, 1.01)
- Rule 2: Unknown at this time
- Rule 3: Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check. (Yankee White, 1.01)
- Rule 3: Never be unreachable. (Deception, 3.13) ; (Rule Fifty-one, 7.24 in the background when opening the box)
- Rule 4: The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one other person – if you must. There is no third best. (Blowback, 4.14)
- Rule 6: Never apologize. It’s a sign of weakness. (Specifically mentioned in Flesh and Blood, 7.12)
- Rule 7: Always be specific when you lie. (Reveille, 1.23)
- Rule 8: Never take anything for granted. (Probie, 3.10)
- Rule 9: Never go anywhere without a knife. (One Shot, One Kill, 1.13 ; Missing, 1.20) Sometimes as “Never leave home without a knife.”
- Rule 10: Never get personally involved in a case (Obsession, 7.21)
- Rule 11: When the job is done, walk away. (Semper Fidelis, 6.24)
- Rule 12: Never date a coworker. (Enigma, 1.15)
- Rule 13: Never, ever involve a lawyer. (Rule Fifty-one, 7.24; Collateral Damage, 6.07)
- Rule 15: Always work as a team. (Leap of Faith, 5.05)
- Rule 18: It’s better to seek forgiveness than ask permission. (Silver War, 3.04)
- Rule 22: Never, ever bother Gibbs in interrogation. (Smoked, 4.10)
- Rule 23: Never mess with a Marine’s coffee if you want to live. (Forced Entry, 2.09)
- Rule 27: There are two ways to follow someone. — First way they never notice you. — Second way they only notice you. (Rule Fifty-one, 7.24; Jack Knife, 7.15)
- Rule 38: Your case, your lead. (Bounce, 6.16)
- Rule 39: There is no such thing as coincidence.(Obsession, 7.21)
- Rule 40: If it seems someone is out to get you, they are. (Borderland, 7.22)
- Rule 44: First things first, hide the women and children. (Rule Fifty-one, first mentioned in Patriot Down, 7.23)
- Rule 45: Clean up the mess that you make. (Rule Fifty-one, 7.24).
- Rule 51: Sometimes – You’re wrong (Rule Fifty-one, 7.24)
Unnumbered rules
- Number not Revealed: In my country, on my team, working my cases, my people don’t bypass the chain of command. (Switch, 3.05)
There you have it. The known sacred texts. Half personal philosophy, half federal survival manual. Gibbs’ rules are less about legality and more about inevitability. They are the gravel-strewn roadmap through a world of lies, loss, and low lighting.
So drink your coffee black. Keep your knife sharp. And if you must love… do it off the clock.