Navajo Nation Police

Last updated

Navajo Nation Police
AZ - Navajo Police.png
Agency overview
Formed1872
Employees549
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction USA
NNPolice Districts.svg
Map of Navajo Nation Police's jurisdiction
Size27,000 square miles (70,000 km2)
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Window Rock, Arizona
Police Officers210
Civilians279

The Navajo Nation Police (formerly known as the Navajo Tribal Police) is the law enforcement agency on the Navajo Nation in the Southwestern United States. It is under the Navajo Division of Public Safety. It is headed by a Chief of Police, six Police Captains and eight Police Lieutenants. It includes: Internal Affairs, Patrol, K-9 Unit, Police diving, Tactical Operations Team, Traffic Unit, Fiscal management, Recruitment, and Training Divisions. The Navajo Nation Police are responsible for seven districts: Chinle, Crownpoint, Dilkon, Kayenta, Shiprock, Tuba City, and Window Rock. There are also several substations in each district ranging from one-man substations or up to five officers each. Currently, there are 210 sworn police officers (134 patrol), 28 criminal investigators, and 279 civilians acting as support staff for the department. There are approximately 1.9 police officers per 1,000 people[ citation needed ] and one officer is responsible for patrolling 70 square miles (180 km2) of reservation land. The Navajo Nation Police are funded by federal contracts and grants and general Navajo Nation funds. This police department is one of only two large Native American police Departments with more than 100 sworn officers in the United States (the other is the Oglala Lakota Nation's police department). [1]

Contents

History

The Navajo Treaty of 1868, which released Navajos from captivity at Fort Sumner, established law enforcement as the responsibility of the federal government. The first Navajo police force was created in 1872 and dissolved three years later. Although there were police on the reservation, they were funded and supported by the United States government. The Navajo Nation operated under the direction of the BIA from the late 19th century until 1959, when it established its own tribal police force. While the force was and remains largely funded by the federal government, the force has operated on its own since 1959. The Navajo Nation police is responsible for law enforcement and for the care and custody of prisoners.

Equipment and vehicles

Navajo Police Chevrolet Tahoe.jpg

All officers are issued a service Glock 22 40 caliber sidearm, expandable baton, handcuffs, bullet-resistant vest, pepper spray and portable radio linked to a central dispatch. Rural substation officers are issued take-home vehicles, a shotgun, metal spike strips and speed radar guns. There are 200 vehicles in the Police department's fleet ranging from sport utility vehicles (SUV) such as: Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Suburban and Jeep Liberty to Sedans: Chevrolet Impala. There are Kawasaki Kz1000s for motor units, 4-Wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATV) for special events/crowd control, and street bicycle units. All patrol vehicles are currently outfitted with laptop computer technology working with local Wi-Fi internet connection to assist officers to write and file reports electronically. The department recently obtained a mobile command post vehicle which is assigned to the Shiprock district located in Shiprock, New Mexico.

In 2018 chief of police Phillip Francisco restarted the Navajo Nation police academy, using the former Chinle jail as a training headquarters. Twelve new recruits graduated in June 2018, the first in-house graduates in ten years. [2]

Ranks

RankChief of PoliceDeputy Chief Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Police officer
Insignia 4 Gold Stars.svg 3 Gold Stars.svg Captain insignia gold.svg US-OF1B.svg No insignia

Fallen officers

As of July 2023, since the establishment of the Navajo Nation police department, at least fourteen officers have died in the line of duty. [3]

Fictional portrayals

Officers of the Navajo Nation police are the subjects of a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. The novels deal primarily with fictional officers named Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito. After Tony Hillerman's death in 2008, daughter Anne Hillerman has continued the mystery series.

The Hillerman novels and characters were used in a 2002 PBS television series Skinwalkers: The Navajo Mysteries and later in the AMC series Dark Winds in 2022.

Navajo police are also the subjects of the Ella Clah police procedural romance novels by the husband and wife authorial team of Aimee and David Thurlo.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navajo Nation</span> Federally recognized tribe within the Southwest United States

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hillerman</span> American writer (1925–2008)

Anthony Grove Hillerman was an American author of detective novels and nonfiction works, best known for his mystery novels featuring Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Several of his works have been adapted as theatrical and television movies.

<i>The Blessing Way</i> 1970 novel by Tony Hillerman

The Blessing Way is the first crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman. First published in 1970, it introduces the character of officer Joe Leaphorn.

<i>The Fallen Man</i> 1996 novel by Tony Hillerman

The Fallen Man is the twelfth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 1996.

<i>Dance Hall of the Dead</i> 1973 novel by Tony Hillerman

Dance Hall Of The Dead is the second crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 1973. It features police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. It is set primarily in Ramah Reservation and the Zuni village in New Mexico, both in the American Southwest.

<i>Talking God</i> 1989 novel by Tony Hillerman

Talking God is the ninth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman published in 1989.

<i>Skinwalkers</i> (novel) 1986 novel by Tony Hillerman

Skinwalkers is the seventh crime-fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by author Tony Hillerman published in 1986. The film version, Skinwalkers, was adapted for television for the PBS Mystery! series in 2002.

<i>People of Darkness</i> 1980 novel by Tony Hillerman

People of Darkness is the fourth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by author Tony Hillerman, first published in 1980. This is the first novel in the series to feature Officer Jim Chee.

<i>The Ghostway</i> 1984 novel by Tony Hillerman

The Ghostway is the sixth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman. It was first published in 1984 and features Jim Chee.

<i>A Thief of Time</i> 1988 novel by Tony Hillerman

A Thief of Time is the eighth crime fiction novel Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 1988. It was adapted for television as part of the PBS Mystery! series in 2004.

<i>Coyote Waits</i> 1990 novel by Tony Hillerman

Coyote Waits is the tenth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman published in 1990.

<i>Sacred Clowns</i> Novel by Tony Hillerman

Sacred Clowns is the eleventh crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 1993.

<i>The First Eagle</i> 1998 novel by Tony Hillerman

The First Eagle is the thirteenth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 1998.

<i>Hunting Badger</i> 1999 novel by Tony Hillerman

Hunting Badger is the fourteenth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 1999.

<i>The Wailing Wind</i> Book by Tony Hillerman

The Wailing Wind is the fifteenth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 2002. It is a New York Times best-seller.

<i>The Sinister Pig</i> Book by Tony Hillerman

The Sinister Pig is the sixteenth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 2003. It was a New York Times best-seller.

<i>The Shape Shifter</i> 2006 novel by Tony Hillerman

The Shape Shifter is the eighteenth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman, first published in 2006. It was a New York Times best-seller and the last Chee/Leaphorn novel by Hillerman published before Hillerman's death on October 26, 2008.

Navajo Cops is a "reality" television series about the real life Navajo Nation Police. It is produced for National Geographic Channel by Flight 33 Productions. The program began as a one-hour pilot episode which aired in May 2011. A six-part series will premiere on National Geographic channel in March 2012. The style and format of the series is similar to other National Geographic Channel law enforcement programs such as Border Wars, Alaska State Troopers, and Wild Justice.

<i>Song of the Lion</i> 2017 mystery novel by Anne Hillerman

Song of the Lion is a 2017 release and the third Leaphorn/Chee mystery written by Anne Hillerman, daughter of the series originator Tony Hillerman. The title is derived from Navajo culture, which speaks of a cougar, Náshdóítsoh, who protects the Navajo people. After her father's 2008 death, Anne continued the series. The Navajo Nation on which the story takes place, is a geographical area that spans 27,000 square miles over the connecting borders of the US states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. According to the NN itself, it encompasses 500 Indian tribes on 318 reservations.

<i>Spider Womans Daughter</i>

Spider Woman's Daughter is a 2013 release and the first Leaphorn/Chee mystery written by Anne Hillerman, daughter of the series originator Tony Hillerman. The title of the book is derived from Native American legends. Spider Woman was the one who taught the Navajo people how to weave. Officer Bernadette Manuelito is the daughter of a weaver, and married to Officer Jim Chee. He nicknamed her "Spider Woman's Daughter" for her ability to weave together a complex array of evidence to solve a crime. In her debut effort to continue the series, Anne Hillerman has given the reader an exceptionally detailed plot and long list of characters. One reviewer at Goodreads.com counted 46 named characters.

References

  1. ↑ Wakeling, Stewart; Jorgensen, Miriam; Michaelson, Susan; and Begay, Manley. Policing on American Indian Reservations. Washington D.C.: United States Department of Justice; 2001. p. vi.
  2. ↑ Cindy Yurth (December 27, 2018). "2018: Year of schism". Navajo Times. p. A1.
  3. ↑ "Navajo Division of Public Safety". The Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
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