Smoke Signals 3
DECEMBER 1,2011
Tribe meets witlhi BDA Office off Justice Services
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Ten Tribal staff members met
with two representatives from the
Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of
Justice Services on Thursday, Nov.
17, in the Adult Education Building
to seek information on the Tribe's
continuing effort to develop a fully
functioning police force.
Thomas Woolworth, special agent
in charge of the BIA's Office of
Justice Services in Portland, and
Law Enforcement Assistant Maria
Gutierrez, from the Billings, Mont.,
office, met with Director of Public
Works John Mercier, Tribal Attor
ney Jennifer Biesack, Public Affairs
Director Siobhan Taylor, Natural
Resources Division Manager Mike
Wilson, Tribal Court Administra
tor Angela Fasana, Planning and
Grants Development Manager
Kim Rogers and others for a 90
minute session that concentrated
on whether the Grand Ronde Tribe
can access additional federal funds
to aid in development of a Tribal
police force.
The Office of Justice Services is
active in criminal investigations
and police services, detention and
corrections, inspection and internal
affairs, Tribal law enforcement and
special initiatives, the Indian Police
Academy, Tribal justice support
and program management. It also
provides oversight and technical as
sistance to Tribal law enforcement
when requested.
Woolworth said there are 211
Tribal law enforcement agencies
in the United States and 31 of
those are "direct service programs,"
meaning the BIA provides the law
enforcement for the Tribe.
However, the Grand Ronde Tribe,
thanks to a new Oregon law, is
developing its own police force.
The Tribe already has sent former
Forest Patrol Officer and Tribal
member Jake McKnight to the Or
egon Department of Public Safety
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
After meeting with Tribal staff to seek information on the Tribe's continuing
effort to develop a fully functioning police force, Thomas Woolworth, special
agent in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Justice Services in
Portland, met with Tribal Council in their conference room on Thursday, Nov. 1 7.
Standards and Training Academy
in Salem and McKnight is currently
receiving field training from the
Polk County Sheriffs Office.
In addition, the Tribe has received
a three-year, $672,525 federal De
partment of Justice grant that will
pay to hire two more Tribal police
officers for three years with the
Tribe committing to fund the posi
tions for a fourth year.
The Tribe also has received
grants to buy police vehicles, fund
a women's transition house and
develop civil laws.
Under the new Oregon law, all
Tribal police who pass state-sanctioned
law enforcement training
are recognized as peace officers,
giving them the ability to enforce
state law anywhere in Oregon,
including on a Tribal Reservation,
against Native and non-Native of
fenders alike.
Woolworth said that Tribes that
"religiously" report their crime
statistics are more likely to dem
onstrate their need for federal
funding.
However, Woolworth told Bie
sack, the Tribe is more likely to
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for
Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards:
Ceremonial Hunt Board meets as needed. Chair: Shonn Leno.
Cultural Trust Board meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each
month. Chair: Peril McDaniel.
Culture Committee meets at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month in
Modular No. 3. Chair: Kathy Provost.
Education Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. on the first Monday of the
month in the Adult Education Building. Chair: Shelby Rogers.
Elders' Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month
in the Elders' Activity Center. Chair: Gladys Hobbs.
Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance
Building. Acting Chair: Robert Schmid.
Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of
the month at the Natural Resources Building. Chair: Harold Lyon.
Health Committee meets at 1 0 a.m. the second Wednesday of the month
in the Tribal Wellness Center. Acting Chair: Patti Tom-Martin.
Powwow Special Event Board meets at 5 p.m. the first Thursday of the
month at the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dana Ainam.
Rodeo Special Event Board meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of the
month at the Tribal Rodeo Office. Acting Chair: Harold Lyon.
Social Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. the second Monday of the
month in the Social Services Conference Room. Chair: Ron Hudson. '
Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month
at the Natural Resources Building. Chair: Bob Mercier.
Veterans Special Event Board meets at 4 p.m. the first Tuesday of the
;' , ' month in the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dakota Whitecloud.
receive Office of Justice Services
funds if it formulates its own Tribal
criminal code instead of only enforc
ing state law.
Woolworth told Tribal Grants De
veloper Bob McElderry that there
is not a base funding level the BIA
distributes to all Tribes with law
enforcement agencies.
Fasana said Tribal Court is cur
rently "trying to figure out what
to do" in regards to whether it will
start handling criminal cases in ad
dition to its current civil caseload.
"Tribal Council has to decide
which way to go," Fasana said.
Woolworth said he would put
Fasana in contact the BIA's Tribal
Court administrator in Washing
ton, D.C., to get a better feel for
what might need to occur if the
Tribe opts to expand its public safe
ty code to include sending criminal
cases to Tribal Court.
Biesack said the Tribe's current
approach to law enforcement is
to enforce state law and perhaps
expand the public safety ordinance
depending on funding and support
available from the Office of Justice
Services.
"SB 412 (the new state law) is a
good middle ground," Woolworth
said. "You don't have to develop
your own criminal code and you can
enforce state law on Tribal land."
Woolworth advised that, consid
ering the current state of federal
funding and threatened $1 trillion
in budget cuts, that the Tribe look
at other funding sources outside of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"A lot of Tribes use that kind of
funding to supplement their opera
tion of law enforcement," he said.
"We want to start with the tools
available to us and grow it," Bie
sack said. "The Tribe wants to do
what is best for the community
while exercising its sovereignty."
Woolworth promised to be a
regular visitor to the Grand Ronde
Tribe as the law enforcement pro
cess evolves.
"I see this as the beginning of an
ongoing relationship," Woolworth
said. "I want to be a resource to help
you achieve your goals."
Also attending the meeting were
McKnight, Tribal Self-Governance
Coordinator Janell Haller, Tribal
Nursing Supervisor Teri Andries
and Polk County Sheriffs Deputy
Todd Fenk.
New Year's Eve Sobriety Event slated
The Tribe's Youth Prevention and Behavioral Health programs will
hold a New Year's Eve Sobriety Event at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31,
at the Northern Lights Theatre, 3893 Commercial St., Salem.
There will be three movies to choose from, door prizes and trans
portation will be provided from Grand Ronde, leaving the Community
Center at 6 p.m.
The event is open to Tribal member families and two guests.
People must RSVP to Shannon Stanton at Shannon.stantongran
dronde.org or call 503-879-1489. Only 274 seats are available. B
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Noon - p.m. - Visit with anta
(Please bring your camera)
Ip.m.-MjZal
2 p.m. - Children singing
1 ' lease bring children's hats or gloves for the
Willamina Tree of Giving to put with the
. Jf- children's gifts.
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