About

My name is Dave Vasconi. I am a recently retired 37-year law enforcement officer, current CEO of Omega Gaming USA, writer, and author of my upcoming book Redemption – One Officer’s Story and Successful Battle with Obesity.

I grew up in Washington State in a single-parent household, where close friendships and a love for basketball shaped my early years. After graduating from Shoreline High School, I attended Central Washington University, however, mid-term of my second year, my college experience was cut short by financial hardship. This bump in the road guided me to a job in retail loss prevention, which unexpectedly launched my career in law enforcement.

In 1988, I joined the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office as a Reserve Deputy, and after graduation from the reserve police academy in late January 1989, I began the process of field training under the tutelage of Deputy Glenn Woodson who is without question one of the best in the business. Glenn would become my teacher, mentor, and lifelong friend, who today is a highly respected legend and the most senior employee at the Sheriff’s Office.

After completing field training, I spent the next nine years working patrol in Snohomish County. Five of those years, I served as a paid provisional deputy and police officer with both the Sheriff’s Office and the Arlington Police Department. Over the course of my reserve police career, I focused heavily on impaired driving enforcement, making nearly 800 DUI arrests.

Despite my passion and performance, I was unable to successfully complete the physical testing requirements set forth by the Criminal Justice Training Commission which kept me from securing full-time employment as a police officer. In 1995, I was hired by the Marysville Police Department as the city’s first Community Service Officer (CSO). Over the next 30 years at Marysville PD, I transformed my role into a specialized position, laser focused on animal cruelty investigations. I arrested over 400 individuals for both felony and gross misdemeanor animal cruelty, rescuing hundreds of innocent animals in the process, all of whom deserved a second chance at life.

During my tenure at Marysville PD, I handled a wide variety of calls for service outside the scope of a traditional CSO, providing daily police support to the Traffic Unit, SWAT Team, Detectives, and patrol officers, earning their respect and support of my personal mission to arrest those who harm animals. “Gratifying” doesn’t begin to describe the work.

Behind the scenes, I struggled with my health. Years of stress and poor eating habits led me to a peak weight of 408 pounds. That number changed my life and ultimately became my motivation in 2007 to finally make a change and get my life back on track. Through immense drive, determination, and discipline, using a range of negative emotions that accompany morbid obesity, I lost 197 pounds the old-fashioned way (diet and exercise) and reclaimed my life.

In my upcoming memoir, Redemption – One Officer’s Story and Successful Battle with Obesity, I share some of the many highlights surrounding my police career, the emotional toll of obesity, and the journey that led me to a lasting transformation. It’s a story I hope will inspire others to make a change and begin their own personal journey to lose their weight and take back their lives. Losing my weight was the best decision I have ever made in my life and I hope that my story will empower and remind readers that anything is possible.

“Strength isn’t measured in pounds lost, but in the courage to begin.”