Sheriff Brad Youngman began his law enforcement career as a member of the Governor’s Marijuana Strike Force working with state and federal law enforcement in the Appalachian Region of Kentucky locating and eradicating illegal cannabis operations. Following the tragic event of 9/11, Brad was appointed as an Investigator at the Department of Military Affairs Office for Security Coordination (later renamed the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security) where he investigated critical infrastructure sites within the Commonwealth and identified threats and vulnerabilities to those operations. Working with other state and federal law enforcement agencies and task forces, OSC devised ways to protect the sites against terrorist attack and other potentially catastrophic events.
In 2004 Brad joined the Owensboro Police Department as a Patrolman and attended the Department of Criminal Justice Training Basic Academy. At OPD he was promoted to Sergeant in 2010. He served at OPD in various roles such as Narcotics Detective, Patrol Supervisor and as a longtime member of the SWAT team. In 2015 Brad left OPD and joined the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office and was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. As a Detective at DCSO, Brad investigated felony crimes and served as a Firearms/Tactics Instructor. From 2016-2019 Brad was appointed by the Department of Justice as a Special Deputy United States Marshal assigned to the US Marshals Regional Task Force focusing on violent criminal and fugitive apprehension throughout Kentucky as well as Indiana, and Tennessee.
In 2021, Brad was hired by the newly formed Daviess County Public Schools Police Department as the Lead Law Enforcement Officer responsible for the daily operations of the police department and the safety and security of DCPS’s 21 buildings and over 12,000 personnel to include students, staff and visitors.
Brad is a United States Department of Homeland Security certified Active Shooter Threat Response Instructor and frequently trains local businesses, churches, and community groups on the history of active shooter events and ways to respond to and mitigate threats. For the past several years Brad has provided active shooter threat response training to area school systems utilizing an award winning and nationally recognized program created by his father, Major General (Retired) D. Allen Youngman. In 2018, Brad furthered his family’s work in combatting active shooter threats and began a Rescue Task Force with the Daviess County Fire Department. This RTF is trained and committed to entering a mass casualty event to begin immediate treatment of wounded persons with the goal of saving lives regardless of whether or not the site is secure.
Throughout his career, Brad served for many years as a member of the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office Multi-Disciplinary Team for Sexual Assault and the Daviess County Attorney’s Office Multi-Disciplinary Team for Domestic Violence since 2012. These two MDTs consist of area law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, social workers, and court personnel that meet monthly to track cases as they proceed through the court system ensuring that nothing is overlooked, and that victims and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence have all the resources they need to pursue justice and rise above victimization. During his time on these MDTs Brad has played instrumental roles in bettering the way local law enforcement responds to crimes such as sexual assault and domestic violence. One example is the implementation of the lethality assessment in the wake of a local domestic violence murder tragedy. These assessments are based on a program developed in Baltimore, Maryland and later adopted by the Louisville Metro Police Department. The assessments are conducted by responding officers to gauge how likely a victim of family violence is to be murdered by their abuser and offers immediate options and resources to the victim rather than having them seek assistance on their own after law enforcement leaves the scene.
Brad is a 2012 graduate of the Department of Criminal Justice Training Academy of Police Supervision and was elected by his classmates as the Class Representative. He has earned a Kentucky Law Enforcement Council’s Career Development Certificate as a Law Enforcement Investigator, Law Enforcement Advanced Investigator, Law Enforcement Supervisor, and an Intermediate Patrol Officer. He is proud graduate of Leadership Owensboro class of 2018 and in 2019 received the Leadership Owensboro Class Member of the Year Award. In 2024, Brad graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Command Course Session #6.
Additionally, Brad is very active in many local non-profit’s boards and organizations. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association. From 2016-2023, he served on the Board of Directors of New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services and was the Board Treasurer from 2018-2019 and Board Chair 2019-2021. Brad served one term on the Board of Directors of the Owensboro Daviess County Senior Citizens Center from 2020-2023. He is a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 696 and AMVETS Post 75, as well as a member of the American Legion Post 9, and a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 16, and Kiwanis International of Owensboro. He is also an active member in the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, the National Association of School Resource Officers, the Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers, the Kentucky Narcotics Officers Association, the National Tactical Officers Association, the National Rifle Association, Special Forces Association Bluegrass Chapter, 99, and the Kentucky Airborne Chapter.
In addition to his Law Enforcement career, Brad is a retired United States Army Officer having served as a Military Intelligence Officer and Counterintelligence Agent with over 21 years of service in the US Army/Kentucky Army National Guard where he worked primarily in Special Operations assignments. During his military service he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and served domestic tours in counter narcotics programs, homeland security, and on the US/Mexico international border in support of US Customs and Border Protection. Brad is a graduate of US Army Airborne School and received the Combat Action Badge.
Brad credits his service-oriented leadership style to his upbringing in a Christian home and the many positive role models in his life to include his grandparents, schoolteachers, and especially his parents. He also draws heavily on his military education and experiences.
Brad is married to the former Brook Howard (KWC 2002) of Utica, KY, who works as a Senior Lending Optimization Consultant for TruStage Financial Services and serves on the Green River Area Down Syndrome Association Board where she co-chairs the annual Buddy Walk. They reside in Owensboro and have two sons, Kaden and Ethan, and are members of Christ Community Church of Owensboro. In their spare time, Brad and Brook enjoy supporting local non-profits and charities, traveling, spending time outdoors, and cheering on Kaden and Ethan at their soccer games.
