Brothers on the Beat : Huntington Beach Man Becomes Third to Join Dad in Law Enforcement

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Justin Vaughan on Thursday became the latest member of his family to join a police force--following in his father’s footsteps, as the adage goes.

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But the 25-year-old Huntington Beach man who had just graduated from the California Highway Patrol Academy is also following in his brothers’ footsteps.

Law enforcement has become a way of life for the Vaughan family, and a source of pride.

Their ties with policing began with patriarch Leroy Vaughan, who spent 25 years as a Garden Grove officer until he retired five years ago. It was his experience as a street cop and detective that influenced his three sons to join the brotherhood of officers.

“He didn’t overtly push any of us,” said Mario Vaughn, 29, who has been with the Brea Police Department for six years, and the first of the brothers to join a police force. “My dad was a role model for me and I was a role model for my brothers.”

Mario Vaughan’s twin, Christian, who joined the Hermosa Beach Police Department in March, said he was pleased that his younger brother had also decided to become an officer: “We’re all proud of what we do, and we’re all proud of each other.”

While everyone in the family talks about the virtues of becoming an officer and helping people, they all realize the danger that comes with the job.

Perhaps no one knows it better than Leslie Vaughan, the mother of the three officers. “There is so much happening out on the street. I fear for all them,” she said. “I pray for them daily. I want to make sure there’s a prayer blanket around my kids--and I think that works.”

Law enforcement officials said it is not unusual to have several members of one family become officers.

“It comes from kids watching their parents get involved with the work,” Garden Grove Police Capt. Dave Abrecht said. “They have a better understanding of what the job entails.”

Justin Vaughan, who was among the Highway Patrol Academy’s 113 graduates, will begin his duties Tuesday in Santa Fe Springs.

“It’s one of the biggest highs I’ve ever felt,” he said of his graduation. “I look forward to a long and happy career. I hope to live up to what my father has done before me. If I would be half the officer my father was, then I will make a great police officer.”

He said being an officer was never a choice, that law enforcement was his calling.

“I never pictured myself doing another job in my entire life. Not everyone has it in them to protect people and makes things safe for people. Only certain people do this. And we were brought up to do this,” he said.

“I think it takes a certain person to put their life on the line to help someone else.”