WAR ON DRUGS

Lighthorse Tribal Police Officer To Be Cross-Deputized

ANADARKO, Okla. - The Muscogee (Creek) Nation finalized the deal
between its Lighthorse Tribal Police and the Drug Enforcement
Administration in which an officer would be cross-deputized as a
federal agent beginning April 8. Muscogee Chief A.D. Ellis signed the
agreement into law.

A selected Lighthorse Tribal Police officer will undergo federal
training to become a DEA agent based out of the Tulsa task force
office. The resolution was originally passed in the Muscogee (Creek)
Council March 29 and had to wait for Ellis to sign the measure to become
law.

''It gives us a good insight to any intelligence the DEA has,'' said
Lighthorse Tribal Police Chief Jack Shackelford. ''If we run across a
case and want to take it to the federal authorities, with our officer
up there, we can call that officer and say, 'Hey, look. This is what
we've got.' This gives us better access to their information and their
intelligence.''

This agreement is but the latest chapter in the history of the
Lighthorse Tribal Police. The police force, originally formed after
the Muscogee (Creek) Nation was removed by the federal government to
Indian Territory, served in this capacity until the early 20th
century, when the BIA took over law enforcement duties. In December
1991, the Lighthorse Tribal Police was revived and has since been the
law enforcement organization of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

The officer selected for this training will continue to be on the
Lighthorse Tribal Police payroll, with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
also handling benefits for the officer such as health insurance.

The idea for the agreement has been in the process for at least two
years, with Shackelford and the Lighthorse Tribal Police staying in
contact with DEA agent Ed Childers, who is also a member of the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Shackelford said the DEA increased efforts
within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation six months ago when the federal
agency received a grant to work drug cases on federal land.

According to Shackelford, the agent appointed to undergo the training
will be the first tribal police officer to be cross-deputized as a DEA
agent.

The training that this agent will undergo includes Internet
investigation and basic narcotics investigation, Childers said.

''There seemed to be a void between some of the law enforcement
entities and the Indian nations,'' he said about the reasons for the
program. ''There was some new management, not only here [in Tulsa] but
in Dallas. We wanted to try and reach out and try to strengthen the
relationships between DEA and the Indian nations. The drug problem is
becoming so pervasive and severe. We wanted to make sure that we had
very good open lines of communication.''

The jurisdiction of the Lighthorse Tribal Police includes the Oklahoma
counties of Wagoner, Muskogee, McIntosh, Creek, Okmulgee, Okfuskee,
Hughes and Tulsa, and portions of Rogers and Mayes counties. This area
includes the Tulsa metropolitan area.

The police force has a staff of 39 working to uncover trafficking with
two major substances that overlap with the DEA: marijuana and
methamphetamine. This is in addition to crack cocaine, which
Shackelford said can be found in the Tulsa area.

Childers said that the benefits of having a tribal police agent
working in conjunction with the DEA have far-reaching
consequences.

''We're going to be able to make much more of an impact than them
working, pretty much, on their own and us working on our own.''

''We're going to be able to blend these two agencies to really address
and really bring to the forefront the issues that are facing Indian
nations. We hope to spread this out and use it like a pilot program to
show to other areas of the United States where they have DEA and other
Indian nations sharing the same territory.''