Vance Peterson
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Vance Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 (age 72–73) |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army
|
| Service years | 1975–2003 2011–2012 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant colonel[1] |
| Unit | 12th Special Forces Group Security Force Assistance Team[2] |
| Conflicts | Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan[3] |
| Other work | Lawyer[4] District Court Judge[4] |
Vance Peterson (born in 1953) is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and a district court judge in Spokane County, Washington.[3]
Peterson was commissioned in the United States Army in 1975, and became a Special Forces operator in 1982.[3] Peterson was discharged from active duty in 1979, joined the Army Reserve and eventually the Washington Army National Guard, and began studying law at Gonzaga University; he began practicing law in 1982.[3] Eventually he earned a master's degree from Webster University, and a J.D. from Gonzaga.[4] Since 1999, Peterson has served as a faculty member at Washington State Judicial College.[4] In 2003, he received a mandatory military retirement at the rank of lieutenant colonel after having served 28 years in the Army and the National Guard.[3]
In 1998, Peterson became a judge for Spokane District Court;[5] his efforts led to the establishment of a Veterans' court in Spokane County in 2010.[6] The court is funded with a $1 million grant awarded in 2011, which will pay for its operations for three years; only one of the offenders who have been adjudicated through the Veterans' Court has been convicted of additional criminal acts.[3]
In 2011, Peterson was recalled to active duty and served as an operations adviser to Afghan Police near Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.[7] In Afghanistan Peterson mentored the Chief of police of Mazar-i- Sharif, helping the police transition away from being a paramilitary force to focusing on law enforcement; at the time he was the only active judge on a security force assistance team.[5] In 2012, Peterson returned to the United States and returned to his position as a judge.[7] In 2013, the Washington State Bar Association awarded Peterson its Local Hero Award.[8]