Chief of police
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. In 2012 Peterson returned to the United States and returned to his position as a judge. In 2013, the Washington State Bar Association awarded Peterson its Local Hero Award.