Police chief retiring after 40 years of leading Pasco department
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- Pasco Police Chief Ken Roske will retire March 27 after nearly 40 years.
- Roske led accreditation efforts and adoption of body cameras and technology.
- City has not named a successor; interim leadership and selection process unclear.
Pasco’s police chief announced that he’s ending nearly four decades of public service next month.
City officials announced Monday that Ken Roske will retire on March 27 after more than six years as chief.
Deputy Chief Brent Cook will take over the 102 officer department while the city conducts a nationwide search for the next police chief, according to officials.
The announcement was made while Roske was out of the office, and officials were not available.
City Manager Harold Stewart thanked Roske for his decades of service to the city in a news release.
“He has helped shape a department that sets a high professional standard and earns the trust of the residents it serves,” Stewart said in the release. “We wish him the very best but will greatly miss his experience and leadership.”
Roske shared in the release that his time as the chief was one of the greatest honors of his professional life. He is confident that the department is well-positioned for future success.
40 years with the department
A Tri-Cities native, Roske worked his entire career with Pasco police starting in 1986. He previously told the Tri-City Herald that he was drawn to the variety offered by the job and the ability to serve the community.
Along the way, he said his favorite position before moving into administration was as a police dog handler where he spent nine years between two dogs.
He moved up through the department into the positions of sergeant, then captain before taking over the number two position as deputy police chief in 2017.
As an administrator, he has led each section of the department, including field operations, support operations and the training division.
Roske led efforts to make Pasco one of a small number of cities in Washington to be accredited by both the state-level Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and the international Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
The accreditation requires the department to show they’re using the best methods for doing their jobs. This covers every aspect of the department from handling evidence to writing budgets.
“We’re doing overall just a better job following the policies and procedures because we have to prove it,” Roske told the Tri-City Herald at the time.
He also drove the department’s adoption of technology including equipping officers with body cameras.
This push came after large public protests following the shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes in February 2015. Officers shot and killed the 35-year-old man in a busy downtown intersection.
The efforts to make the department more transparent have been met with wide public support.
He was also instrumental in bringing a regional police academy to Pasco. The move to expand the academy across the state opened up chances to people who wouldn’t normally be able to serve as officers.
The center is one of four across the state and was joined by new centers in Spokane, Arlington and Vancouver.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 4:20 PM.