Smoke Signals 7
OCTOBER 15, 2012
Grainift helps Tribal police force gjirow
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Tribe's police force will in
clude one more officer and one more
vehicle now that it has received a
$378,103 U.S. Department of Jus
tice grant to pay for hiring, training
and equipment.
The funds will be used for hiring
a third police officer in 2013.
'The Tribe received a grant in the
amount of $256,279 to fund an ad
ditional police officer over a three
year period," said Tribal Director of
Development Peter Wakeland, who
supervises the Tribe's growing po
lice force. "The Tribe would provide
funding after the three-year grant
expires."
In addition, the Tribe received
another $121,824 to pay for the ad
ditional officer's vehicle, equipment
and training.
"It's one more vehicle and one
more officer," said Tribal Planning
& Grants Development Manager
Kim Rogers.
The new grant will complement a
three-year, $672,525 grant received
by the Tribe in October 2011 that
pays for the addition of two officers
before the end of 2012.
The Tribe recently conducted an
interview for the Chief of Police
position and hopes to have a chief
on board soon, Wakeland said. Once
a chief is hired, the Tribe will move
forward, hiring two additional po
lice officers before the end of the
year and a third police officer in
2013.
They will work with former For
est Patrol Officer Jake McKnight,
who graduated last year from the
state's Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training Academy
in Salem to become the Tribe's first
law enforcement officer. McKnight's
position and the Chief of Police post
are Tribally funded.
When the four new positions are
filled, the five-member Tribal police
force will continue to work with the
Polk County Sheriffs Office for law
enforcement coverage in the com
munity. In July 2011, the Oregon Legis
lature gave Tribal police the same
powers delegated to other Oregon
police. Senate Bill 412 requires
that Tribal police be trained at
the state's training academy, that
Tribes provide police oversight,
adhere to the state's open records
law and adopt evidence protection
standards, all requirements cur
rently in use by federal, state and
local police.
The federal grants require the
Tribe to fund the three new police
positions for a year after the grants
expire.
"The Tribal dollars post-grant
could be Bureau of Indian Affairs
Tribal law enforcement dollars we
are working on receiving now that
we are eligible due to Senate Bill
412," Rogers said.
A Tribal police force is the latest
step in the Tribe continuing its
efforts to reclaim sovereignty. As
early as 1985 in the Grand Ronde
Tribal Reservation Plan, the Tribe
called for a Tribal police force.
The most recent grant was among
more than 200 grants awarded to
more than 110 American Indian
and Alaska Native nations through
the Justice Department's Coordi
nated Tribal Assistance Solicitation
program.
"These awards represent our on
going commitment to help put an
end to the unacceptable and sober
ing crime rates witnessed in Indian
Country," said Acting Associate
Attorney General Tony West.
"Tribal leaders in Oregon are
deeply committed to the safety of
their communities," said U.S. Attor
ney for Oregon Amanda Marshall.
"These Justice Department grants
to Oregon Tribal nations total more
than $3 million. My office looks for
ward to our continued partnership
with Tribal law enforcement and
victim advocates to reduce crime
rates in Indian Country." B
Graves teaching basket weaving class
Tribal Elder Connie Graves teaches a basket weaving class, which
is open to the public, at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Elders' Activity
Center. For more information, contact Tribal Cultural Education
Specialist Brian Krehbiel at 503-879-4639 or brian.krehbielgran
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