Entire Kickapoo Tribal Police Force Resigns Amidst BIA Assessment

The Main Reason behind Kansas Police Department Resigns – KICKAPOO, WIS – The Kickapoo Tribal Police Department will implement a major overhaul following the mass resignation of nearly all its officers on December 4, 2023. The rare desertion has left only one officer within the department, sending local, state and federal agencies scrambling to keep up law enforcement on tribal lands.

Federal Inspection and Police Force Walk Out

The resignations came during a department-wide assessment started by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Law Enforcement Division (BIA). At the formal evaluation of police department operations, agents from BIA arrived, according to minutes from the December 18 City of Horton Commission meeting. Within hours of their arrivals, the chief, lieutenant and one of the two regular officers resigned with no advance notice.

The unexplained exit has left the agency with just one officer remaining. Applications are currently being reviewed as efforts are underway to restaff the force, according to Napoleon Crews, attorney general and general counsel for the Kickapoo Tribe.

“We anticipate hiring at least three new officers in the next couple of weeks,” Crews said.

Interim Policing Measures

Since the resignations, various agencies have intervened to maintain safety and security on the reservation. Brown County Sheriff John Merchant stated his department is providing interim law enforcement services with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Kansas Highway Patrol and Horton Police Department.

“The tribe has not been without police protection,” Sheriff Merchant said. “We have criminal jurisdiction on tribal land and have handled primary response during this transitional period.”

In spite of the challenges, Merchant says cooperation between the agencies has kept criminal patrol and interdiction, on the reservation.

Recruitment to Replenish the Force

The Kickapoo Tribe is also actively working to restore the capacity of its police department. Crews notes that the tribe had received a great deal of applications thus far for the open positions, indicating interest in the positions.

“Our mission is to hire a competent and committed team that will ensure the community’s safety,” Crews said.

Interviews for potential officers have already begun, hopeful tribal officials contend the future of the department.

Broader Implications

BIA’s reassessment of these remissions highlights the critical need for sustainable law enforcement structures in tribal scenarios, an issue that tribal nations across the country face. While federal and local agencies are taking immediate measures to deal with present-day security issues, reformation of the department with qualified people who can address the Kickapoo Tribe’s specific needs is the real long-term solution.

The tribe continues to recruit employees, and the story evolves as the tribe transitions toward stability.