Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman recently completed the FBI National Command Course (NCC) in Washington, D.C.
Youngman was one of 50 sheriffs, chiefs of police, and FBI Supervisory Special Agents from across the United States selected to attend the program.
“I was honored to be selected for NCC. The lessons learned and the connections I made with my classmates will help tremendously as we navigate current and future challenges that we may encounter,” Youngman said.
According to the program website, the NCC was developed in 2020 to fill a void in FBI strategic leadership training programs for policing executives.
“In the United States, law enforcement agencies with fewer than 50 sworn employees comprise over 80% of departments, yet leaders of these agencies often lack funding and/or manpower availability to send employees away for weeks at a time to attend nationally recognized executive leadership programs,” the website reads.
With two sessions per year, 100 law enforcement executives graduate from NCC annually.
The 1-week program includes benefits such as “improved relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, increased liaison between departments resulting in more effective policing, and enhanced public safety overall,” the website says.
During NCC, participants attended classes, lectures, and interactive learning sessions covering a variety of topics currently facing law enforcement executives such as strategic leadership, image management, officer wellness and suicide prevention, preventing targeted violence, recruitment, and retention of personnel.
“Mental health and wellness were probably the topics that I found to be among the most interesting,” Youngman said. “I was able to see how some new practices are emerging that enable chiefs and sheriffs to take better care of their staff.”
The class spent time at the George Washington Leadership Institute at Mount Vernon with Lieutenant General Paul Mikolashek (USA Retired), the US Army’s 61st Inspector General, discussing the integration of strategy, leadership, and management. The class also received strategic leadership training from former Homeland Security Director and White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly (USMC Retired). The course concluded with a graduation ceremony on Friday evening.
“The course consisted of some of the most amazing presenters and speakers I have had the opportunity to learn from,” Youngman said. “Not one block during the entire course was less than impressive. Graduates are already emailing and calling each other to share ideas and ask for help with implementation of various strategies we discussed in the session.”
