47 deputies barred from active duty for failing psych evaluations in California

(The AEGIS Alliance) – 47 California sheriff’s deputies have been barred from serving in active duty as of Friday, September 24 due to the fact that they had failed their psychological assessments going back to 2016, and also should have not ever been employed, a report reveals.

Overall, 47 Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies, which accounts for around 5% of the 1,000-member department, have been relieved from active service and also stripped of their firearms and other weaponry, according to KTVU.

The departure was triggered because of a deputy that purportedly murdered two people previously in September. He’d gotten a “Not Suited” opinion on his psych assessment.

The deputy was 24-year-old Devin Williams Jr. who is implicated in the bloodshed of a man and wife in Dublin, California. He reportedly fired gunshots at the couple until they died in their residence on September 7 after finishing a double shift at the Santa Rita Jail.

Williams, that was apparently involved in an affair with the man’s wife, had failed his mental assessment, yet was still employed in September 2021.

Due to accountability concerns, the sheriff’s office started auditing its other deputies who may have failed their exams, yet was still employed.

The review discovered that 47 deputies remained on active duty, in spite of getting a “Not Suited” result on their psych exams. Out of the 47, 30 worked at the Santa Rita Jail, and the other 17 have tasks in other places.

The almost fifty deputies were notified of their termination from active duty in a letter coming from Sheriff Gregory Ahern with a date on it of September 23.

“The Sheriff’s Office has been operating under the information provided a number of years ago from POST that we can hire candidates who received a ‘D. Not Suited’ evaluation,” according to a letter Ahern wrote that KTVU obtained. “Unfortunately, this is not the case.”

Deputies that were rated “Not Suited” in their examinations are not allowed to work as law enforcers in California under state policies, he mentioned.

“Our legal counsel has informed our Office that you will not be authorized to carry a firearm and you cannot make arrests based upon probable cause, issue traffic citations, or perform any function reserved for peace officers,” Ahern noted.

He assured everyone he would arrange another psych exam for every deputy and also address the problem promptly.

“Our intention is to resolve this issue as quickly as possible,” Ahern’s letter reads. “We also intend to have you return to full duty status once you obtain a ‘Suitable’ finding.”

The 47 deputies will still get a salary and even benefits and are going to be put on jobs that are not on active duty, the letter indicates. Sheriff representative Lt. Ray Kelly verified the audit was motivated by Williams’ alleged crime.

“I know that people are going to assume that all these deputies are killers,” Kelly pointed out. “But that’s not true. This test tries to find out if you are psychologically suitable for the job, to handle all the horrible things we see. At the age of 22, sometimes you’re not.”

Job candidates obtain “Not Suited” results for a variety of warnings consisting of psychological health and wellness concerns, monetary issues, too many marital relationships, breakups, or even alcohol and drug concerns, a retired staff member noted.

He included that previously, candidates that fell short in the assessment were merely informed they won’t be employed, however, the policies had gotten relaxed further under Ahern.

“I know this isn’t good,” Kelly stated. 90“But it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.