Indian Law Enforcement History

Covers Indian law enforcement up to 1975. Whether it be achieving the peaceful arrest of Geronimo and his heavily armed followers in the 1870's, stopping the liquor traffic in the Indian Territory just after the turn of the century, or maintaining the peace in the emotionally charged atmosphere of the Dakotas in the 1970's, the work of the Indian police has always been challenging. The Indian police carry with them a long and distinguished tradition that provides the inspiration to meet the challenges they face. It extends not merely to the creation of the reservation system, but back into the unrecorded histories of the Native American societies before the white men came. Many of the men who answered the call to service in the 1870's were already veterans in police work with the police societies of the Plains tribes or the office of High Sheriff of the tribes of the Indian Territory. Likewise, the first judges selected were often men with distinguished records as leaders of their people. Some, like Quanah and Gall, had been leaders in the fierce Indian resistance to white encroachment. When they saw conditions had changed, they chose again to lead their people and help them make the best of the new world. This short history of the Indian Criminal Justice system is dedicated to the men and women whose goal it is to carry on this heritage as they work each day to bring the peace, justice and safety so important to the continued development of the communities we serve.