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No psych exam for deputy who killed 6
A sheriff's deputy who opened fire on a pizza party and killed six people did not undergo a psychological evaluation before being hired. 20-year-old Tyler Peterson reportedly flew into a rage early Sunday when he was rebuffed by his old girlfriend, and others at the gathering called him a "worthless pig." A longtime friend tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Peterson came to his door in the hours after the rampage and calmly explained what he had done, and he was very sorry for doing it. Police haven't commented on details the friend talked of, but they told reporters that Peterson stormed out of the party, retrieved an assault rifle from his vehicle and went back in, firing 30 shots that killed all but one of those at the party. The survivor remains hospitalized. Peterson was later killed during a gunfight with authorities. They have not said whether officers killed Peterson, or he killed himself. Peterson had been a Sheriff's deputy for a year, and also worked part time as a police officer in Crandon. Neither job required him to have a psychological evaluation before being hired. Wisconsin requires only that applicants "be free of any physical, emotional, or mental condition which might adversely affect the performance of their duties." It is not specified how that should be determined. "I just find it troubling," said Neil Melton, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, after learning Peterson received no psychological testing. "This is an incredible job," Melton said. "You're giving people a lot of authority. Authority to take away your personal freedom. Authority to use deadly force. So we don't want to take this lightly." Melton said for thirty years Minnesota has required prospective peace officers to submit to an evaluation and oral interview by a licensed psychologist. Even so, Melton said, a psych exam still might not stop a tragedy like the one in Crandon. "I think we've taken some incredible steps to minimize it," Melton said. "But it's always a possibility."
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