| Sycuan Tribal Police Members Commissioned as Federal Peace Officers Tribe is First in County to Achieve Federal Status  San Diego, CA (June 8, 2006) – After years of having limited authority on the reservation, the Sycuan Tribal Police Department has become the first tribal police force in the county, and only the second in California, to gain federal law enforcement powers. This move gives Sycuan's officers significantly broader authority to enforce the law, both on and off the reservation.Eight of the department's sworn officers recently completed training to be commissioned as federal peace officers. The tribe has also signed an agreement with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs officially authorizing the department to enforce federal law. “Public safety has always been a top priority for the Sycuan tribe, since we entertain thousands of guests at our casino, resort and golf courses,” Tribal Chairman Daniel Tucker said. “We take great pride in the professionalism of our tribal police force, and I applaud Tribal Police Chief William Denke and all his officers for attaining federal peace officer status.” Prior to this achievement, the officers were only allowed to enforce tribal laws on the reservation, and only for tribal members. That meant that if a non-Native American caused trouble in the casino, for example, tribal officers could do little more than detain him and call in the local sheriff's department. Sheriff's deputies are responsive, but the reservation is only a small part of their patrol area, in addition to the many square miles of East County for which they are responsible. Tribal officers can now step into this space, controlling the scene in emergency situations. Denke said acquiring federal peace officer status is key to maintaining an effective crime-fighting force. “Law enforcement is a big part of the tribe's philosophy of self-determination and self-governance,” Denke said. “This is the next logical step as Sycuan continues to grow self reliant.” To meet the federal requirements to become peace officers, Denke's officers had to complete special training, background checks and psychological evaluations. Most of the members achieved peace officer status through California Peace Officer Standards and Training academies, with an added course called “Jurisdiction in Indian Country” offered by the BIA. The Sycuan Tribal Government operates one of the region's premier Indian gaming and resort facilities, the Sycuan Resort and Casino. The Sycuan Tribe demonstrates its strong commitment to the San Diego region through its support of civic and charitable organizations. The Tribe through the Sycuan Tribal Development Corporation (STDC) also seeks to reinvest back into the San Diego community with a progressive business development effort. To date, STDC has purchased the Singing Hills Country Club and the historic U.S. Grant Hotel, and is an investor in Hotel Solamar near Petco Park, and is owner/developer of the Marina Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in National City. The Tribe also owns and operates Sycuan Ringside Promotions, the country's first tribally owned boxing promotion company. Sycuan funds a publicly traded and professionally managed mutual fund. Combined, these enterprises now employ nearly 4,000 San Diegans.
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
