Brad Young is a filmmaker, director, educator, and former law enforcement officer whose work explores trauma, resilience, public safety, human connection, and the experiences of people serving on the front lines.
Brad served seven years in the United States Army as a military intelligence professional, including a combat deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. His military experience exposed him to the realities of service, leadership, sacrifice, and the lasting effects that critical incidents can have on individuals and families.
Following his military service, Brad spent 13 years in law enforcement. His assignments included patrol officer, K-9 handler, school resource officer, juvenile detective, crisis intervention officer and instructor, and hostage negotiator. He led the Palo Alto Police Department’s School Resource Officer Program, supporting 17 schools, and provided active-shooter response training to more than 800 educators. His career gave him firsthand insight into the pressures placed on police officers, veterans, emergency personnel, young people, and the communities they serve.
Brad now serves as Director of the Guardian Division for Get Safe, a nationally recognized training organization specializing in violence prevention, de-escalation, behavioral threat assessment, active-shooter response, and crisis communication. Through Get Safe, he has developed and delivered trauma-informed, scenario-based training for law enforcement agencies, businesses, educators, healthcare professionals, government organizations, and community groups. His work is grounded in the belief that connection and communication are essential components of safety.
As a filmmaker, Brad combines investigative discipline with emotionally grounded storytelling. His projects focus on subjects that are often difficult to discuss openly, particularly law enforcement trauma, veteran mental health, suicide prevention, disability, identity, and recovery. Rather than treating film solely as entertainment, he approaches it as a tool for starting conversations, challenging assumptions, and creating practical social impact.
Brad is the director and central investigator of the documentary *Thankless*, which examines law enforcement suicide, cumulative trauma, professional identity, organizational culture, and the personal cost of policing. The film follows his effort to understand why officer suicides have repeatedly exceeded many categories of line-of-duty deaths and what can be done to change that outcome.
He also wrote and directed the short film *The Last Time We Talked*, the story of a suicidal combat veteran whose final phone call to his sister becomes a race to interrupt a fatal decision. The project was created with disabled veterans, first responders, and performers and reflects Brad’s commitment to telling difficult stories with authenticity and respect.
His creative work also includes *Safety Superstars*, a children’s educational series that uses puppetry, humor, music, and storytelling to teach children practical safety skills. The series reflects another side of Brad’s mission: giving young people information that is memorable, accessible, and empowering without relying on fear.
Brad’s national articles and presentations have addressed voluntary compliance, realistic training, adolescent communication, de-escalation, and crisis response. His professional collaborations have included work connected to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Sam Houston State University Institute for Homeland Security.
Based in Idaho, Brad is a husband and father whose family, faith, military service, and law enforcement career continue to shape the stories he chooses to tell. His filmmaking is driven by a simple objective: create work that changes mindsets, changes outcomes, and helps people recognize that they are not alone.
