NCJ Number
141412
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1993) Pages: 59-63
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Created in 1985, the Oneida (Wisconsin) Tribal Police, originally known as the Oneida Public Safety Department, had no radios and no cars. Eight years later, the department boasts 20 sworn officers and substantial resources.
Abstract
The growth of the agency corresponded to the transformation of the Oneida reservation from a sleepy rural area with high unemployment to a vital business community. Profits from tribal bingo, a casino, and a gaming compact with the State have been pumped back into the tribal community, paying for education and jobs for tribal members. Security officers at the tribal bingo hall became the first police officers. At first, the authority of the tribal government and police department over the reservation was challenged by the other local agencies. However, once the courts ruled that the Oneida had jurisdiction over the lands within the original boundaries of the reservation, county and tribal officers began to cooperate in terms of dispatching, communicating, and conducting undercover drug investigations. Tribal police officers were also trained as emergency medical service first responders.