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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2017)
S moke S ignals NOVEMBER 1, 2017 9 Pursuit shuts down Highway 18 on Saturday By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer Grand Ronde Tribal police were not involved in an officer-involved shooting that shut down Highway 18 east of Grand Ronde in both directions for several hours on Saturday morning. “We had one officer assisting with the traffic situation after the incident occurred,” Tribal Police Chief Jake McKnight said on Mon- day, Oct. 30. McKnight declined to elaborate, citing the involvement of the Polk County District Attorney’s Office. The 17-year-old suspect from Silverton died at the scene. According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and the Polk County major crimes unit are investigating the shooting, which occurred near milepost 23 near Grand Ronde. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office were notified of an armed carjacking and robbery that occurred about 4 a.m. in the Safeway parking lot at the corner of Silverton Road and Lancaster Drive in Salem. The suspect was reported to have a weapon. Polk County deputies located the vehicle and a pursuit began, reaching speeds of more than 80 mph. As deputies attempted to ap- prehend the juvenile, shots were fired. Investigators have recovered a weapon from the shooting scene. The names of the involved officers and of the deceased juvenile are being withheld, according to the Polk County District Attorney's Office. Rice named director of Bureau of Indian Affairs WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bryan Rice, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a veteran federal administrator, was named the new director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke on Monday, Oct. 16. The bureau is the federal agency that coordinates government-to-gov- ernment relations with the 567 federally recognized Tribes in the United States. “Native Americans face significant regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles to economic freedom and success,” Rice said. “I am honored to accept this posi- tion and looking forward to implementing President Trump’s and Secretary Zinke’s regulatory reform initiative for Indian Country to liberate Native Americans from the bureaucracy that has held them back economically.” Rice recently led the Interior Department’s Office of Wildland Fire and has broad experience leading forestry, wildland fire and Tribal programs in the departments of the Interior and Agriculture. He has worked for the federal government for almost 20 years, beginning in Helena, Mont., as part of an interagency hot shot crew. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal and supervised timber operations on the Yakama Reservation in Washington state as well as in Alaska. He holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in forestry and a master’s from the University of Alaska in business administration. He is a licensed pilot and enjoys time outside hunting and fishing. Grants up to $10,000 available to Tribes Through Oct. 31, Oregon nonprofit organizations and Tribes can apply for grants up to $10,000 to support public programs that bring people together to think and talk about challenging issues and ideas. Oregon Humanities’ Public Program Grants are awarded annually to nonprofits with a budget less than $1.5 million and Oregon’s federally recognized Tribes. The grants fund programs that engage community members as active participants, explore issues or ideas from a variety of perspectives, help participants make meaning for themselves and their community, and respond to challenges or opportunities in their communities. To apply, organizations or Tribes must complete an online letter or interest form by Oct. 31 at www.oregonhumanities.org. Once that deadline passes, Oregon Humanities staff will contact the program director regarding whether a full proposal will be invited. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Program Coordina- tor Kyle Weismann-Yee at 503-241-0543 or 800-735-0543, ext. 112, or kyle@oregonhumanities.org to discuss their applications or learn more about the granting process. Photo by Michelle Alaimo Grand Ronde Tribal Police Chief Jake McKnight, left, talks with community member Don Christensen during Chat With the Chief event held at the Tribal Police Station on Wednesday, Oct. 25. First ‘Chat With the Chief’ held By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer It’s not common to see citizens and police officers breaking garlic bread together, but that’s exactly what happened in Grand Ronde recently. In an effort to improve communi- ty policing, Tribal Police Chief Jake McKnight hosted the first-ever “Chat With the Chief” event at the police station on Grand Ronde Road on Wednesday, Oct. 25. He said he decided to start the chats to help encourage positive interaction between law enforce- ment and citizens, and to improve community policing. “We plan to have these events every few months,” McKnight said. “We want to get the community more involved with the police de- partment.” Topics of discussion included McKnight’s recent 10-week FBI training in Quantico, Va., the Na- tional Drug Take-back Day event held on Saturday, Oct. 28, prescrip- tion drug abuse and treatment op- tions, crime trends and community needs. McKnight brought out his brick from the famous “Yellow Brick Road” run to show attendees who inquired about his FBI training. It is from the final test of the fitness challenge at Quantico. Participants must complete a 6.1- mile run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, they scale walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, rope climb rock faces, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, maneuver across a cargo net and more. When the course is completed, students receive a yellow brick to memorialize their achievement, which McKnight has displayed in his office. In addition to McKnight, other Tribal Police attendees at the event were Sgt. Rod McAllister, Lt. Timothy Hernandez, Officer Tyler Brown and Evidence Technician Egypt Leno. Tribal Planning Department Manager Rick George, Tribal Elder Barbara Feehan and Tribal mem- ber Veronica Gaston also attended. A meal of lasagna, garlic bread and salad was served to all who walked through the doors, including several volunteers from the Food Bank located across the parking lot, who thanked officers for hosting the event and providing a meal. “We will continue to host these so we can keep that open communica- tion going,” McKnight said. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, community policing em- phasizes proactive problem-solving rather than responding to crime only after it occurs, with this phi- losophy infused into all police oper- ations and guiding decision-making efforts. “Agencies are encouraged to think innovatively about their re- sponses and view making arrests as only one of a wide array of potential responses,” the website states. McKnight has said that the Grand Ronde police force is fortu- nate to have community support in its efforts and that he hopes to build on that foundation. McKnight, 40, was tapped as Grand Ronde’s police chief in De- cember 2015. He succeeded Al La Chance, who retired in February 2016 and also was the community’s first police officer after working for the Natural Resources Department patrolling Tribal forestlands. Health & Wellness Center Entrance Reminder: The drive-through entrance at the Health & Wellness Center is for loading and unloading only. The entrance was built with our Elders and those with mobility issues and their ease of access in mind. If you are coming to the center to pick up prescriptions, please park in one of our regular parking spaces. Thank you, Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center Administration