Culturally responsible community policing is a high priority for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Justice & Regulatory Department, which oversees numerous aspects of law enforcement on the Southern Ute Reservation – Tribal Rangers, Tribal Police, Detention, and the Gaming Division.
Recently, the Tribe invited five new recruits to undergo police recruit assessments and physical testing prior to their interviews. Of those five, three made the initial cut.
“The testing is something that shows what we are kind of exposed to on a daily basis; the exercises are something that would be representative of what we do as officers in the field,” said Lieutenant Gary Maestas of the Southern Ute Police Dept. Those physical agility tests are also what our officers have to do once a year he explained.
The recruitment assessments include an agility course, written testing, which are then followed by formal interviews.
“This is to complement our renewed effort as a police program to get local community members to consider employment with the Southern Ute Police Department; where we train them, prepare them and mentor them for the privilege of serving in a Native American community and to outline the benefits of being a Permanent Fund regular status employee,” said Justice & Regulatory Director, Leonard Redhorse III.
Recruit drives let the public know that the Tribe has open positions to serve in the Tribal community, with potential for career longevity and enhanced healthcare benefits. Selected applicants will also gain a better understanding and awareness of state, federal and tribal jurisdictions and how that relates to Tribal Sovereignty.
“Our recruit drive is to create an opportunity for those who want to serve their community,” Redhorse said. “It demonstrates their passion to serve, how they carry themselves.”
The current goal is to bring in new hires under the Tribe’s Justice & Regulatory Department in time to send them to the United States Indian Police Academy (USIPA) in in Artesia, N.M. for their formal training at the end of December. USIPA is the leading training provider for law enforcement in Indian Country; housed at Artesia’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
“The Southern Ute Indian Tribe welcomes people who desire to serve in a public safety environment, who are motived and dedicated to learning new processes to meet the needs of our community,” Redhorse said. There is a culture change in policing that Justice and Regulatory hopes to achieve, rooted in empathy and compassion, and it starts with recruiting.
“Through the recruitment process, we can achieve this … that’s our future,” Redhorse said.