Sheriff Brad Youngman

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

I am an Owensboro Native, born and raised. My wife, Brook, and I have two sons, Kaden, age 16, and Ethan, age 6.

Immediately following high school graduation, I enlisted in the Kentucky Army National Guard and following college graduation, I was commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer. I retired from the National Guard in 2019. I joined Owensboro Police Department in 2004 and in 2015 I joined the Daviess County Sheriff’s as a Patrol Deputy and then became a Detective in the Criminal Investigations Division. In 2021, I left DCSO to join the newly formed Daviess County Public Schools Police Department. I am now serving as Daviess County Sheriff and I feel that, along with my staff, we are off to an amazing start.

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS THINK ABOUT YOU BEING SHERIFF?

They have been nothing but supportive the entire time. I have been in law enforcement their whole lives. Being a cop anywhere means that you are going to work holidays, miss sporting events, and work odd hours. It takes a toll on your family time for sure, but like all police and first responder families we make the most of it. As Sheriff, I have a new set of responsibilities and at times my work pulls me away from home over night or in the evenings, but we are used to that. With the age difference you can definitely see the different levels of understanding though of what it means for me to be Sheriff. My oldest is completely aware of the fact that I had to run for office and he helped with my campaign a lot. My youngest just still understands that I am a policeman and beyond that I am not sure he really knows what being Sheriff entails.

HOW DOES YOUR JOB IMPACT YOUR PARENTING STYLE AND HOW DOES BEING A DAD AFFECT YOUR JOB AS SHERIFF?

It’s fair to say that I am probably a little more aware of what can happen out there on the streets or even online than some other parents may be because of what we see in police work, so my parenting style may reflect that at times. I try to talk with my kids about the dangers that are out there as far as drugs and alcohol, dangerous driving, avoiding strangers, and all of the things that parents need to be talking with their kids about. I don’t think I go over the top with it but who knows, maybe I do.

As far as how parenting affects my job, I like to think it makes me better at it. We are making several changes to the Sheriff’s Office and trying to increase our visibility, accessibility and proactive activities to keep this community safe. We are adding new services and skills and started a Special Investigations Unit to focus on drug enforcement. I am doing all of this because I care about our community and I want to keep it a safe place for families.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ADVICE TO OTHER DADS?

Well, I am certainly in no position to be lecturing anyone. But from where I am sitting, you can definitely see the value of having had a dad in someone’s life. And I think a big part of that is to be a dad and not a buddy. Kids will have lots of buddies most likely, but only one dad. Take charge of your kid’s character development and don’t let social media, video games, or friends at school rob that from you. Teach your kids meaningful life lessons. Especially teach them right from wrong, how and when to stand up for others, and develop them into good people so that they will be a good citizen one day. The best way to do that in my opinion is talking to them as much as you can. Ask them what is going on in their lives. Place an emphasis on family time. As parents, we have to be the loudest voice to make sure we are setting the tone for what they will one day become. OP