The South Dakota Attorney General’s office is partnering with tribes located in the state to train new law enforcement officers.
It’s part of an effort to address a public safety shortage in Indian Country by keeping recruits close to home in South Dakota.
Twenty-four new officers representing fifteen agencies are almost midway through the training course. Of the 24, 11 from three different tribes are slated to become tribal officers following their certification.
Often, tribal law enforcement recruits attend a similar 13-week training course hundreds of miles away in New Mexico. That’s seen as a barrier to bringing in new law enforcement officers. Some say training in Pierre allows them to go home on the weekends and be around their community.
“Being a mother of three, it’s definitely helped me be there for my kids and still do what I want to do and pursue my dreams of being a law enforcement officer,” said Officer Michelle Casiano-Keeble, who is from Sisseton Wahpeton and works for the police department.
Having an in-state training course dedicated to tribal officers was a priority of Gov. Kristi Noem.
Attorney General Marty Jackley said that allows for uniform training across the state, while building local relationships for officers who will work across jurisdictions.
“Making it local makes sense because of consistency. When a deputy sheriff from a county shows up and there’s a tribal officer they’ve had the same simulator training," Jackley said. "They’ve had the same criminal law training to know when you need to get a warrant and when you don’t in South Dakota.”
The state training course runs into September before recruits get a state law enforcement certification. Then, Jackley says there will be a special law enforcement commission class, which if approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, allows officers to make a federal arrest in Indian Country.
