In one California county following a psychological evaluation close to 50 sheriff’s deputies have had their duties taken away after poor results.
Based on tests dating to 2016, 47 deputies with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office were told on Friday that they would be stripped of some of their law enforcement duties. These include the right to make arrests and hold firearms.
This information was reported by KTVU News, which got a copy of the letter sent to all of the deputies that were losing access to those duties.
Those affected deputies scored a “D. Not Suited” on the evaluation. The office is made up of around 1,000 members which means that around 5 percent will now not be able to actively assist with some aspects of law enforcement. Those 47 deputies will still keep their pay and benefits. In the letter, Sheriff Gregory Ahern said that new psychological evaluations would be scheduled shortly for the issue to be resolved as swiftly as possible.
As soon as deputies are found to be suitable again, their full duty status will be restored. The new tests are going to be administered by an external psychologist certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. This will help guarantee the reliability of the results.
According to the report, this suspension is going to put more pressure on the sheriff’s office to hire more deputies.
