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Nearly 50 Sheriff’s Deputies Deprived Of Guns, Badges Due To ‘Unsatisfactory’ Psych Exam Scores

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Trevor Schakohl Legal Reporter
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Dozens of California county sheriff’s deputies were deprived of weapons and badges this weekend following an investigation discovering they had scored below satisfactory on psychological tests, according to Southern California’s ABC 7 News.

Alameda County Deputy Devon Williams, 24, failed his police psychological exam before being arrested weeks ago for allegedly killing a woman he had had a relationship with and her husband, the outlet reported. An audit spurred by that case found other Alameda County deputies received “unsatisfactory” results in tests as far back as 2016, and 47 were told Friday that they were not allowed to carry guns or arrest people.

Alameda County saw 584.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2019, above the statewide average of 436.5 violent crimes, according to data assembled by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Ray Kelly said all the deputies in question scored “D-Not Suited” on the an “A” to “F” scale, with the California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training giving the go-ahead to hire applicants achieving that result in 2016, The Mercury News reported. The exams feature oral and multiple choice portions.

The state’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards recognizes testing standards partly developed by the American Psychological Association, according to its 2022 manual.

“A lot of young people out of college don’t do as well on the psychological exam as someone who has much more life experience,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly, the outlet reported. “This has nothing to do with substance abuse issues or mental disorders or diagnoses. We believe testing scores will go up based on the number of years of service.”

The majority of the deputies worked at the Santa Rita Jail, according to ABC 7 News. (RELATED: California Dem Bashed Police After They Arrested Her Roommate For Allegedly Assaulting A Protester, Texts Show)

The sheriff’s office said Monday the officers have been given desk jobs and will be screened again, indicating that standards for psychological testing have evolved since 2016, according to ABC 7 News.

Kelly could not be contacted after an attempt for comment by Daily Caller News Foundation.

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