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PERMIT NO. 700
Tribal track
tract — pg. 10
JANUARY 15, 2016
The force rearranges
New police chief
takes over in
February; Security
Department created
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
N
ot many people
get to retire twice.
When Grand Ronde
Tribal Elder and outgo-
ing Tribal Police Chief Al
LaChance announced late
last year that he would be
retiring as chief of police in
February, the search for a
new leader began.
Fortunately, the search
didn’t take long and didn’t
have to look too far.
Tribal member and
Grand Ronde Police De-
partment Sgt. Jake McK-
night was tapped to take
over as police chief and he
has been performing the
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
role since being hired in
Grand
Ronde
Tribal
Police
Chief
Al
LaChance,
right,
is
retiring
in
February
and
Jake
McKnight,
who
was sergeant
December. The Tribal Po-
lice Department has been and is a Tribal member, is taking over as police chief. LaChance, a Tribal Elder, was the fi rst chief of the Grand Ronde
operating with two leaders Police Department.
since late last year.
Oregon Public Safety Academy, had been get-
LaChance, 63, previously retired after
LaChance. “Over the last three years we all
ting the department up and running just before
spending 31 years working for the Redmond
worked together as a department to make
LaChance came over from Redmond. Previously,
Police Department before coming to Grand
this a successful police department.”
McKnight had worked as the Tribe’s forest patrol
Ronde as the fi rst Tribal chief of police in
As of February, the department will con-
offi cer with the Natural Resources Department.
2012.
“When we initially started, Jake had laid
See POLICE
McKnight, who was hired as the Tribe’s
down
the
foundation
for
the
department,”
said
continued
on page 7
fi rst police offi cer after graduating from the
Chips retirement
Special issues losing face value beginning on May 4
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
P
layers look at casino chips
as a way to track their win-
nings.
Casino properties look at chips
as cash.
But collectors look at playing
chips as pieces of art and history.
Spirit Mountain Casino issued
a public notice on Monday, Jan. 4,
that collectors are going to like. The
casino’s special event and collector
playing chips will be discontinued
and no longer accepted at face
value.
Collector chips like the Martha
Jane Sands and Indian Boy $25
chips from 2008, the seventh an-
niversary $5 chips from 2002, the
10th anniversary $5 chips from
2005 and the 20th anniversary
$5 chips from 2015 will offi cially
become collector items in May.
People wanting to receive face
value for their specialty chips
have until May 4 to redeem them
See CHIPS
continued on page 5
General Council canceled
due to lack of quorum
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
I
n an extremely rare occur-
rence, the Sunday, Jan. 3,
General Council meeting was
canceled when less than 30 Trib-
al members, which is the Tribal
Constitution benchmark for a
quorum, were able to attend.
Attendance was hampered by
rain falling in most of western
Oregon over a cold air mass that
created icy road conditions from
Portland to Salem and points
in-between.
The scheduled program report
by staff members of the Natural
Resources Department was post-
poned to the next General Council
meeting, which will be held at 11
a.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, in the Pacifi c
Ballroom at the Monarch Hotel,
12566 S.E. 93rd Ave., off Interstate
205 near Clackamas Town Center.
The dicey and icy road conditions
continued into Monday, Jan. 4,
when the Tribe initially announced
See MEETING
continued on page 14