What does it mean to be a tribal police officer? What are the complexities of that role? And how do tribal communities, tribal police departments, and other law enforcement agencies collaborate to address the alarmingly high rate of violent crime in Indian country? Author Eileen Luna-Firebaugh answers these and other questions in this well-documented text about tribal government and law enforcement in America. Based on extensive research with tribal police departments conducted over a period of eight years, Tribal Policing reveals the complicated role of police officials in Indian country and the innovative methods they are developing to address crime within their borders and to advance tribal sovereignty in the United States. Tribal police departments face many challenges, such as heightened crime rates, a lack of resources (working patrol vehicles, 911 systems, access to police radios), and vast patrol areas. Luna-Firebaugh demonstrates that tribal officers see themselves as members of the tribal community and that tribal law enforcement is a complex balance of tribal position and authority within the community. Among other topics, Luna-Firebaugh analyzes the structure of tribal law enforcement and the ways it differs from mainstream policing; the role of women, tribal members, and others who comprise tribal law enforcement personnel; tribal jails and corrections; police training; and the legal, political, cultural, and historical issues that affect American Indian tribal policing. This informative text addresses the scarcity of published material regarding tribal law enforcement and will be a welcome addition to courses in criminal justice, the administration of justice, law enforcement, and Native American studies.

What does it mean to be a tribal police officer? What are the complexities of that role? And how do tribal communities, tribal police departments, and other law enforcement agencies collaborate to address the alarmingly high rate of violent crime in Indian country? Author Eileen Luna-Firebaugh answers these and other questions in this well-documented text about tribal government and law enforcement in America. Based on extensive research with tribal police departments conducted over a period of eight years, Tribal Policing reveals the complicated role of police officials in Indian country and the innovative methods they are developing to address crime within their borders and to advance tribal sovereignty in the United States. Tribal police departments face many challenges, such as heightened crime rates, a lack of resources (working patrol vehicles, 911 systems, access to police radios), and vast patrol areas. Luna-Firebaugh demonstrates that tribal officers see themselves as members of the tribal community and that tribal law enforcement is a complex balance of tribal position and authority within the community. Among other topics, Luna-Firebaugh analyzes the structure of tribal law enforcement and the ways it differs from mainstream policing; the role of women, tribal members, and others who comprise tribal law enforcement personnel; tribal jails and corrections; police training; and the legal, political, cultural, and historical issues that affect American Indian tribal policing. This informative text addresses the scarcity of published material regarding tribal law enforcement and will be a welcome addition to courses in criminal justice, the administration of justice, law enforcement, and Native American studies.

This book seeks to address a significant void in the scholarship on policing Native American communities. It is the first book to explore Native Americans' perspectives on the ways in which Native American communities--especially those in and around reservations--are both over-and underpoliced in ways that perpetuate both the criminalization and the victimization of Native Americans as nations and as individuals. Drawing upon a series of interviews conducted with 278 Native Americans from seven states, Policing Race and Place in Indian Country uncovers patterns of hate crime against Native Americans as well as a general dissatisfaction with the nature of law enforcement in their communities. Participants reported activities ranging from willful blindness to Native American victimization at one extreme, to overt forms of police harassment and violence at the other. What emerges from these descriptions is the recognition that the patterns observed by the participants of the study are an extension of a lengthy history of systemic racism against Native Americans. Policing Race and Place in Indian Country is one of the first books to address the policing of Native American communities. While there are several studies that investigate the racialized nature and context of policing, most only refer to Native Americans in passing. By focusing solely on the Native American community, the book is appealing to scholars writing on race and policing or criminal justice.

The COPS Office awarded the Fox Valley Technical College's National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) a cooperative agreement in FY2008 to provide training and technical assistance to the 75 tribes and agencies awarded Tribal Resources Grant Program funds that year. NCJTC helped these tribes and agencies enhance community policing by providing training and technical assistance in community policing and other public safety issues. Successful Tribal Community Policing Initiatives: A Resource for Communities Developing Public Safety Programs and Strategies describes various tribes' experiences in developing community policing initiatives. Their contributions provide a comprehensive resource for other tribes wishing to implement community policing programs to improve public safety in their communities.