TRIBAL POLICE RECEIVE $263,000 GRANT FROM BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
Funds to Support Border Enforcement and Prevent Drug Smuggling

AKWESASNE — The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council announced that the Tribal Police Department has been awarded a $263,000 grant from the Bureau of Indian Affair’s Office of Law Enforcement Services (OLES). The Tribal Council submitted an application in February 2006 and the resulting funds will be used to increase the number of tribal police officers devoted to combat drug smuggling in Akwesasne.

“OLES acknowledged the dedication and hard work done by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department,” stated BIA Deputy Director for OLES Christopher B. Chaney. Chaney noted that the tribal police was awarded the funding following “a careful analysis involving every Indian Country law enforcement program in the United States.”

The Tribal Council is pleased that the funding will help the tribal police department to provide for a safer Akwesasne community and for border enforcement. The 15-member tribal police force currently pays for border enforcement from its own operating budget that is supported by tribal revenue. Nearly half of the police department’s time is spent monitoring the border, which increases to as much as 80 percent during the winter.

Twelve miles of the U.S.-Canadian border, comprised of islands and rivers, cuts through the middle of Akwesasne. Tribal police officers are ideally suited to monitor this stretch of border as they are Akwesasne residents with an intimate knowledge of the territory. As a result, they are a vital part of border enforcement initiatives and regional drug enforcement task forces.

“The involvement of our tribal police is an important part of any successful investigation in the surrounding area,” said Tribal Chief Barbara A. Lazore.” She added, “Reinstating their full police powers last year has improved their effectiveness in arresting non-Natives that commit crimes in our community and the additional funding will strengthen their border-related work.”

The Office of Law Enforcement Services is responsible for improving law enforcement services and preserving the public’s safety throughout Indian Country. Through its six district offices, it provides funding and training to more than 170 tribally operated police departments and directly operates 31 law enforcement agencies. It also funds 59 tribally operated detention centers and operates 22 detention facilities.

The Department of the Interior’s appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2006 authorized and appropriated discretionary funds to the BIA to be dispersed to areas of Indian Country with priority crime and law enforcement issues. The funding will be used for staffing needs associated with the smuggling of illegal drugs, humans and contraband across the border, as well as to address violent crimes and other policing needs.

According to Tribal Police Chief Andy Thomas, “The role of our tribal police is essential in enforcing the international border and protecting our community against criminal activities.” He added, “The money addresses a portion of funding needed in order for our police department to effectively respond as a first line of defense against illegal border crossings and drug smuggling.”

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