Meet the officer: OCSO Detective Lt. Brad Stark

Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) Detective Lieutenant Brad Stark grew up here in Okeechobee and graduated from Okeechobee High School in 1983. He has been married to his wife, Diana, for 32 years and they have two children, Bradly and Andrea, who are now both grown and in their 20s.

After high school, he attended what was then known as Indian River Community College, where he obtained both his corrections and law enforcement certifications. Lt. Stark knew at an early age he would continue his law enforcement career and has been in the field now for over 31 years and worked for four sheriffs.

In June 1986, Lt. Stark began his law enforcement career at the Martin Correctional Institution for a short time until 1987, when the current OCSO jail facility was built, and he continued there as a correctional officer. He became dual certified and transferred to the Road Patrol Division in 1989. In 1996, he was promoted into the Detective Division, where he conducted criminal investigations and was on the evidence/crime scene unit. Lt. Stark progressed through the ranks, making sergeant and then lieutenant of the Criminal Investigations Division.

During his career, Lt. Stark became a Field Training Officer, Certified Instructor and "part of many units such as the Okeechobee County Dive and Recovery Team, Honor Guard, Evidence and Crime Scene Technician and the Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team."

In 1995, he conducted many gang investigations and became part of the Florida Gang Investigators Association and the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations. He was later appointed as the Southeast regional director. In 2008, Lt. Stark worked with the Attorney General's Gang Reduction Task Force and in February 2009, he "assisted the Sheriff's Office in establishing the first Gang Unit, which later became the Street Crimes Unit."

Lt. Stark is currently the team leader of the Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team and a member of the F.B.I.'s Joint Terrorist Task Force-Counter Terrorism Unit for the region, a member of the Sexual Assault Response Team and the vice president of the 19th Judicial Circuit Victim's Rights Coalition.

Outside of law enforcement, Lt. Stark is a current member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the road captain/vice president of the Eagle Riders. He was formerly on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Okeechobee and the Communities in Schools mentoring program. Lt. Stark designed the Okeechobee County Youth Center/Skate Park Project for those programs and said, "with the backing of the Okeechobee Contractor's Association, it became a reality." He also helped to establish the Gang-Free Okeechobee Motorcycle Rally, which was held as a fundraiser for scholarships for students of the Okeechobee community.

In closing, Lt. Stark said, "I look forward to my retirement, where I can travel the back roads of the country by motorcycle."