Twelve tribal law enforcement recruits from nine agencies are set to graduate Tuesday from the first basic police training program held at Camp Grafton Training Center in North Dakota, marking a significant expansion of law enforcement training options for tribal nations across the northern United States.
A Closer Alternative to New Mexico
Until this year, tribal officers seeking basic law enforcement certification had to attend the U.S. Indian Police Academy in New Mexico — a requirement that leaders in North Dakota and neighboring states identified as a barrier to recruitment. The 14-week Indian Country Police Officer Training Program at Camp Grafton, a North Dakota National Guard base near Devils Lake, was designed to address that gap.
Jamie Azure, Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, said the new program means officers no longer have to travel across the country just to receive training before returning to serve their own communities.
The burden was real. Sgt. Mike Roy, a school resource officer for the Three Affiliated Tribes, previously attended the New Mexico academy while his family remained in North Dakota.
Who Participated
The first class drew one recruit from the BIA Turtle Mountain Agency in North Dakota, along with participants from tribal nations in Washington, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Wisconsin. The Bureau of Indian Affairs promoted the program to agencies in Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa as well.
Camp Grafton had previously hosted advanced law enforcement training for the BIA, but this marks the first time basic training has been offered at the site.
By the Numbers
The 14-week curriculum covers nearly 600 hours of instruction across disciplines including report writing, court testimony, federal and tribal criminal law, emergency vehicle operations, firearms fundamentals, and arrest and control techniques. All instruction is delivered by subject-matter experts with experience working in tribal communities.
Charles Addington, principal director for justice services and law enforcement at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, said the pilot program has given agencies across the northern region “renewed hope” by providing a closer, more accessible training option.
What Comes Next
The current session functions as a pilot to evaluate Camp Grafton’s capacity as a permanent training site. The Bureau of Indian Affairs plans to offer multiple basic law enforcement courses over the next year, with future classes expected to enroll between 24 and 36 officers each.
Upcoming programming will also include basic training for tribal correctional officers and specialized courses covering missing persons investigations, defensive techniques, child and elder abuse cases, and high-risk traffic stops.
The expansion reflects broader efforts by tribal nations to build sustainable, locally accessible law enforcement pipelines — a challenge that has drawn attention as agencies across sovereign tribal lands navigate growing demands on public safety infrastructure.