| Vance Peterson | |
| Allegiance: |  United States |
| Branch: | |
| Serviceyears: | 1975–2003 2011–2012 |
| Rank: | Lieutenant colonel[1] |
| Unit: | 12th Special Forces GroupSecurity Force Assistance Team |
| Battles: | Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan |
| Laterwork: | Lawyer District Court Judge[2] |
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.[2] Since 1999, Peterson has served as a faculty member at Washington State Judicial College.[2] 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;[4] his efforts led to the establishment of a Veterans' court in Spokane County in 2010.[5] 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. 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.[4] In 2012 Peterson returned to the United States and returned to his position as a judge.[6] In 2013, the Washington State Bar Association awarded Peterson its Local Hero Award.[7]