Daviess County Sheriff’s Office
PICTURED ABOVE
Led for the past 21 years by Sheriff Keith Cain (center), the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office is committed to leading their western Kentucky community. The 67-person team includes patrol deputies, court security, tax collection, detectives, school resource officers and K-9 Astor. According to 2018 office statistics, the agency responded to nearly 17,000 calls for service that year and logged more than 5,800 training hours. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office is like many Kentucky sheriffs’ agencies – juggling both law enforcement and constitutional responsibilities, serving the people while trying to encourage and support deputies and staff internally.
But DCSO stands out in just as many ways. The office is led by a long-serving, iconic sheriff – Keith Cain – whose 10-gallon hat, blue jeans and cowboy boots are as much a part of his persona as his five-point badge. Beyond their leadership, DCSO has also developed a reputation for being creative with their resources to provide service beyond the call, despite limited personnel and funds.
Responsible for a countywide population of more than 100,000, DCSO employs 67 personnel, including 22 deputies assigned to patrol. Twenty-four employees are part-time certified court security officers, which fulfill services ranging from prisoner transports to courtroom security.
In his 46 years with DCSO, Cain said he has watched many deputies start their careers, rise through the ranks and retire with his organization. Longevity of service is something DCSO is very proud of, but it also means Cain rarely gets to hire new deputies. Those who attain leadership positions often stay in them long term.
“The problem with that is that, if one of the only times I get to hire is to replace someone, there is no growth within the organization. We are just maintaining,” Cain said. “Status quo is fatalistic to any organization, and that is most certainly true of law enforcement. It is a tremendous challenge.”
This framed photo of Sheriff Keith Cain’s father sits on his desk as a daily reminder to live up to the principles the elder Cain instilled in the sheriff. When asked about what it takes to be a good police officer, Cain often replies that they are the same qualities it takes to be a good person. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
To counter that challenge, Cain has encouraged what he refers to as horizontal growth. Cain and his command staff look for opportunities where deputies can expand their interests within roles such as the K9 unit, school resource officers, narcotics investigation or training.
“When you break it down to its most simplistic form, I think our communities expect three things,” Cain said. “Number one, they expect us to be accessible to their needs. Very close behind that, you have to be responsive to those needs. It’s not enough to be accessible without responding. Third, we should always hold ourselves accountable for the manner in which we do respond. If you do those three things and live by them, you will be well served in this profession.”
Special Skillsets
Three sworn special deputies serve the agency in unique roles because of their specialized skillsets, Cain said.
Special Deputy Carol Purdy, for example, has served the agency for the past nine years as a digital forensics examiner. Purdy’s career in information technology began in the classroom teaching digital forensics. But with a husband who served with the Owensboro Police Department, Purdy saw the advantage of using her skills and training to solve cases.
DCSO Special Deputy Carol Purdy exercises her skills and knowledge in many cases, as cell phones have come to be a part of so many investigations. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
“Most of what I do is mobile forensics,” Purdy said. “I do computer forensics, but most is mobile. That is because there is a mobile component in virtually every crime there is. Text messaging – in burglaries they will send pictures, text that they have this or that. (I look for) GPS locations and child exploitation.”
Like Purdy, Special Deputy Allen Youngman was a friend of Sheriff Cain’s and brings a distinguished set of skills and experiences to DCSO. Youngman spent of his 34-year Army career developing firearms training programs, including overseeing the creation of a post-Sept. 11 special firearms training program.
DCSO Detective Brad Youngman (pictured) and his father, DCSO Special Deputy Allen Youngman, are two of the agency’s members who work with Daviess County schools to teach active-shooter response training. (Photo by Jim Robertson)
Following his military retirement as Adjutant General of Kentucky, Youngman joined DCSO as a special deputy firearms instructor. The role grew to include the development and implementation of an active shooter response training program in coordination with Daviess County Schools.
Brad Youngman, Allen’s son and a DCSO detective, joined his father in the school training program alongside other instructors as the school training program continued to grow.
“We are fortunate to have schools that approached us asking for our assistance because they truly care about their students,” Brad Youngman said. “That’s easy to build on. We really work with the teachers and school folks on what can they do before we get there. Because ultimately that’s how they’re going to survive.”
The kneeling knight symbol found on DCSO cruisers represents the agency’s philosophy to be a humble servant first. The latin beneath the symbol, “Inginio Vir Bellator Corde Servi” translates to “skills of a warrior, heart of a servant.” (Photo by Jim Robertson)
