The Oneida Indian Nation was the first tribal police department to receive accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States.

The force is celebrating its 30th anniversary, but knows there is a lot of work to do to curb the issues facing native communities.  

“We wear three hats here, both federal, state and tribal," Oneida Indian Nation Police Chief Gary Henderson said.

Henderson has led the force since 2017, but even with years of experience, he says the job of a tribal officer is tricky.

“Really, the challenge is recognizing, for each of our officers, when we respond to a call for service, determining exactly what jurisdiction we would proceed through," he said.

Violence has been an issue in the areas across the country.

In January 2022, the Congressional Research Service reported more than 82% of American Indian and Alaska Native people were victims of violence in their life. According to the National Crime Information Center, Native Americans were reported missing at a higher rate than the U.S. public in 2020.

“Any complaints on Nation land, dealing with nation members, we would work through tribal court," Henderson said. "Sometimes, there are federal charges involved in what we do, and that’s when we coordinate with the U.S. attorney’s office for that type of prosecution."

Oneida Indian Nation police officers have been deputized by the Oneida County sheriff since 2013.

“That certainly proved to be probably one of the most effective agreements when it comes to protecting the citizens of the communities that we serve together," said Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol.

“It’s extremely important," said Henderson. "Prior to the deputization agreements, we would have to basically investigate the complaint as the police officer, and then turn it over to an outside agency.”

With the designation, they can handle it themselves.

“We’ve always been fully capable of prosecuting the cases," he said.

There are 324 federally recognized indigenous reservations across the country. The majority of cases are under federal jurisdiction.