Detective Gary Vigneault


Detective Gary Vigneault

Gary Vigneault is a retired Detective with the Phoenix Police Department and is currently employed as a Special Agent at The Arizona Department of Gaming.  During his 26 years of service, he has worked as a patrol officer, field training officer, community relations officer, walking beat bike patrol, downtown bike patrol officer and Tactical Training officer. While assigned to the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy, Gary was the Physical Fitness Coordinator for the Phoenix Police Department and was also on the tactical training detail. He has been instructing defensive tactics and use of force for the past 20 years and has taught in Australia at the Victoria State Police Academy in Melbourne. He is currently teaching Crew Member Self Defense for the Transportation Security Administration.

Gary is currently assigned to the Planning and Research Bureau as a policy/CALEA analyst. Detective Vigneault received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Grand Canyon University and received his Graduate Degree in Education Psychology with an emphasis in Counseling/Human Relations from Northern Arizona University in October 2006.

Detective Vigneault is a subject matter expert in Defensive Tactics and High Risk Vehicle Stops, recognized by the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board. Gary also works directly with the Phoenix Police Department Legal Unit as an expert in police training procedures and use of force.

Gary has taught in-service classes for the Phoenix Police Academy for over ten years and has been involved in teaching basic training for eighteen years. Detective Vigneault has an instructor background in physical fitness, defensive tactics, high risk vehicle stops, tactical driving, Taser, force on force, building search, firearms, crisis entry and numerous others. He can think of no other area of police work that he loves more than teaching officer survival skills at any level.

When he isn't busy working or teaching, he is playing softball, golfing, traveling or out on the lake or Colorado River racing wave runners with his children. He continues to run and believes that if you are not physically fit, the job of surviving in the law enforcement profession may be next to impossible.


The Law Enforcement Programs are Applied Programs of Rio Salado College.