Roland Wilbert Peterson (31 October 1941 – 11 December 2017) was an Aruban

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

, writer and poet. Peterson was tasked with creating the new

Aruba Police Force The Aruba Police Force (Dutch: ''Korps Politie Aruba'' or ''KPA'', Papiamento: ''Cuerpo Policial Aruba'') is the law enforcement agency of Aruba. The force operates under the authority of the Minister of Justice and Social Affairs. History In ...

in 1986, when Aruba became an autonomous constituent country within the

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. In addition to founding the island's police department, Peterson served as the first Commissioner of the Aruba Police Department from 1986 until 1989. In 1987, he completed a 12-week training seminar on law enforcement and anti-terrorism tactics held at the FBI Academy in

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...

. Peterson later became head of the government agency, DOOV, the predecessor of the present-day Department of Integration and Management of Foreigners (DIMAS). He was also Aruba's Interpol representative. Roland Peterson died at his home on Aruba following a long illness with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on 11 December 2017, at the age of 76. He was survived by his wife, Martha Peterson-Hagen, and two children, Angelique Peterson and Roland Peterson Jr.

References

External links

National Library of Aruba: Roland Peterson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Roland 1941 births 2017 deaths Commissioners of the Aruba Police Force Aruban police officers Aruban children's writers Aruban poets Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau