When a police officer killed six people in a shooting rage and then took his own life Sunday in Crandon, Wis., it sparked questions about statewide police hiring processes and firearm policies. Local police say they evaluate their officers rigorously and issue weapons as needed.
According to the Milwaukee
Journal-Sentinel, 20-year-old gunman Tyler Peterson was never given a mental evaluation before becoming a member of the Forest County Sheriff's Department's special emergency response team. As a member of that force, Peterson was issued an AR-15 rifle with which he shot six dead - including his ex-girlfriend - and severely wounded another before presumably taking his life.
Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said despite the concerns that have surfaced following the tragedy, his potential hires undergo rigorous mental and physical examinations before they are even considered. He said his 550 employees must meet minimum state standards, as well as Dane County standards - they must be 21 years of age and pass all background investigations and standardized tests, plus medical exams, including a psychological screening.
The process can take upward of 18 months, and psychological exams can be costly.
Mahoney said those tests range in price from $500 to $1,000 per person. He said the state does not require psychological exams and therefore Forest County authorities were not at fault for hiring Peterson without one. He said in all likelihood, the county probably did not have the resources to give the test.
However, in Dane County, which has plentiful resources, Mahoney said, We've made the decision that the expense is worth it.""
""I believe a psychological exam is valuable, but I don't think it's a requirement because having a psychological [test] does not mean that you're going to act appropriately in a highly volatile, stressful situation,"" he added.
""What occurred in Crandon, I don't think had anything to do with the fact that this young man was a police officer - what it had to do with was a young man who had trouble dealing with emotional stress and breakdown.""
The Madison Police Department follows guidelines similar to those in Dane County. MPD public information officer Joel DeSpain said officers-to-be go through tough background checks and mental evaluations. He said every one of the nearly 400 MPD officers went through in-depth training and complete, sometimes borderline invasive reference checks.
""We'll talk with people's former girlfriends, former boyfriends, family members,"" DeSpain said. ""We go beyond the references they provide '¦ the process here is pretty involved, and once somebody gets into the academy, then they do go through psychiatric testing.""
Sometimes officers can be in training for months, and as for the 30 new officers promised for next year, DeSpain said they would not be realistically ready for nine months or more.
DeSpain also said the state's minimum age requirement is 18, but MPD sets the bar near 23 because of an influx of qualified candidates. He said the average age of an MPD officer is 27. Mahoney said the same about the average age of his force.
The university police did not return calls as of press time, but according to their website, they employ people who are ""free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition which might adversely affect performance."" They also impose a 21-years-of-age minimum and have a force of almost 100 people.
As far as weapons are concerned, DeSpain said MPD officers are issued only their hand guns.
""Officers are not issued an AR-15 [rifle], but they are available to officers in squad cars,"" he said.
Mahoney said only specialty teams carry heavy artillery, for example an AR-15 rifle, as was the case in Crandon. He echoed DeSpain, saying deputies are issued hand guns, but noted they have the authority to bring their own weapons to work.
""We allow individual officers to purchase their own weapons,"" he said, ""But we don't allow every police officer to carry their assault rifle in the trunk of their car.""
""Still,"" he said, ""I expect every deputy in the sheriff's office to be psychologically sound enough to be able to deal with conflicts in their lives, and it's never a guarantee until these incidents unravel.
