Captain David Burghart has been promoted to the rank of Major and will serve as one of three sworn assistant chiefs for the Prince William County Police Department, according to an announcement by Chief Peter Newsham. This appointment comes after the retirement of Major Jacques Poirier.
Major Burghart, who grew up in the Stafford County and Fredericksburg area, brings over 24 years of law enforcement experience. He began his career with the Prince William County Police Department in 2001 as a patrol officer in the eastern district within the Operations Division. In 2008, he was promoted to first-line supervisor and held various assignments, including roles in patrol, the traffic unit, and special victims.
Burghart advanced to command-level ranks in 2015. His positions have included watch commander in operations, bureau commander of youth services, deputy director at the Public Safety Training Center, and Chief of Staff for the Office of the Chief. In 2021, he became captain and served as commander of both the Office of Professional Standards and most recently as Western District Commander in operations.
He has also participated on several department teams such as Incident Management, Underwater Search & Rescue, and Command Post. Burghart holds a master’s degree in military history from American Public University.
His professional development includes graduation from several programs: FBI National Academy (FBINA), Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) at Boston University, University of Virginia’s Leading, Educating, and Developing Program (LEAD), Professional Executive Leadership School (PELS) at University of Richmond, Institute for Leadership in Changing Times (ILCT) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Center for the Constitution at Montpelier-Seminar for Law Enforcement on Constitution Principles.
Effective January 2, 2026, Major Burghart will begin his new role as Assistant Chief of the Operations Division. He will oversee both the Patrol Services Bureau—which includes all three police districts—and the Special Operations Bureau.
Chief Peter Newsham stated: “Major Burghart is an accomplished leader whose breadth of experience will continue to benefit our department.”
