Professional Standards Division

Division Responsibilities

The Professional Standards Division of the Pasco Police Department is responsible for maintaining the integrity and professionalism of the police department and its employees' ensuring standards are maintained through transparency and accountability. The Pasco Police Department places a high value on integrity and public trust. 

The Professional Standards Division is responsible for career development of our staff. Managing all training within the department to ensure quality control through department instruction.   

The Professional Standards Division is charged with development and updating of departmental policy in order to ensure compliance with City, State, and Federal laws. The Professional Standards Division maintains the department’s dual accreditations.  The Pasco Police Department is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) as well as the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chief’s (WASPC) standards. 

This division oversees all new hire testing processes and background investigations. The Pasco Police Department is interested in identifying police officer candidates with the highest moral and ethical standards. To accomplish this, the Pasco Police Department conducts thorough and objective background investigations of all eligible applicants, in accordance with the requirements of the rules set forth by the City of Pasco Civil Service Commission. 

The accountability of our staff and internal investigations is assigned from the Chief of Police to the Captain in this division. This division safeguards the level of trust and confidence the public has in its police department and ensures our agency remains deserving of that trust. We also ensure that the rights of our employees are protected and all persons involved in an inquiry are treated with dignity and respect. 

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About Captain Vaught 

Captain Brian Vaught leads the Professional Standards Division. Captain Vaught joined the Pasco Police Department in 2005, after serving in the U.S. Air Force and Washington Army National Guard from 1996-2005. Early in his career, he served as a patrol officer, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and Active Shooter Response Instructor. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2014, serving as a Patrol Sergeant, Training Sergeant, K-9 Sergeant, Use of Force Instructor, and Critical Incident Management Instructor. He was promoted to Captain in December of 2021, assigned to the Professional Standards Division. Captain Vaught holds a career-level certification from the Criminal Justice Training Commission in Middle Management. He is a graduate of the NW Law Enforcement Command College, and FBI-LEEDA Command and Executive courses.