Tribal Police Department

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The Sycuan Tribal Police Department delivers professional policing services to Sycuan’s Reservation and Trust Lands. Although the police department is a full-service law enforcement agency, the department enjoys strong collaborative relationships with its law enforcement partners in the region and leverages those partnerships in an effort to provide robust and seamless services to all of Sycuans’ residents, visitors and employees. The police department also assists its law enforcement partners off of the Reservation when requested to do so.

Sycuan’s police officers’ jurisdiction is unique, investigating violations of tribal, state and federal law. Violations of tribal law are adjudicated through the tribe’s court system. Violations of state law are directly filed with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office via a Memorandum of Understanding. Because of Sycuan’s police officers’ status as special deputy officers of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), major federal cases are filed directly with the United States Attorney’s Office, and petty federal offenses are adjudicated through the Central Violations Bureau of the United States District Court.

All of Sycuan’s police officers meet the minimum training requirements set forth by the California Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Further, they regularly attend required in-service training programs, including those that sharpen their perishable skills. All of Sycuan’s police officers must also attend the BIA’s Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country course prior to their designation as a “Special Deputy Officer.”

The Sycuan Police Department is proud of its partnerships with organizations, both on and off the reservation. Those collaborative partnerships have resulted in: the police department operating its radio communications on San Diego’s Regional (interoperable) Communications System—allowing Sycuan’s officers to communicate with other law enforcement agencies at the turn of a dial; access to local, regional, state and federal criminal justice databases and information systems— inputting its own crime data and information into all of the systems as well; and entering into a number of Memorandums of Understanding and multiple community oriented policing projects.

The police department knows that crime doesn’t recognize tribal land boundaries, thus making it important for the department to continue to work with its community and other public safety agency partners in a concerted effort to identify innovative ways to prevent crime and increase effective policing services.

Sycuan Police Department
Sycuan Police Department
Sycuan Police Department

Chief of Sycuan Police Department

Bill Denke

Mission Statement

To provide effective law enforcement services, without favor or prejudice, in an effort to safeguard the community and enhance the quality of life for all tribal residents, visitors and employees.

Vision Statement

To continue to work transparently through strong collaborative partnerships with other public safety agencies and the people it serves, in an effort to be a premiere tribal law enforcement organization that the community trusts.

Contact

Sycuan Police Department
5459 Sycuan Road
El Cajon, CA 92019

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