Puyallup Tribal Police Department

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Department Contact:

Daniel J. Duenas Sr.

Chief of Police

Phone:

(253) 680-5656

Fax: (253) 680-5658

Mailing Address:

1638 E. 29th Street,
Tacoma, WA 98404

Mission

It is the mission of the Puyallup Tribal Police Department to safeguard life and property, to enforce Tribal law in a fair and impartial manner, to preserve peace and order within the boundaries of the Puyallup Reservation, and to aggressively pursue this mission in conformance with the culture and values of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

Vision Statement

Our vision for the Puyallup Tribal Police Department is to provide dedicated professionals to provide excellent service, which enhances the quality of life for the Tribal community that we serve.

Goals

The goal of the Puyallup Tribal Police Department is to establish a standard of excellence in police practices and develop high morale, professionalism and accountability. It is also the goal of the Puyallup Tribal Police to improve perception and develop a strong working relationship with the Puyallup Tribal Community. A community that sees officers as having the ability to restore order and uphold the law in a fair and consistent manner is likely to develop the trust and respect necessary for the Department’s success.

Puyallup Tribal Police Department

The Puyallup Tribal Police Depart-ment consists of the Chief of Police, two Lieutenants, two Sergeants, two Detectives, 19 full-time officers and one volunteer reserve officer. Police services are available to the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

These dedicated officers are charged with the routine patrol, emergency response and investigative duties to the Puyallup Reservation, which en-compass 18,063 acres of land. The police routinely patrol approximately 30 Tribally owned business. Duties also include assigned posts or patrols at Emerald Queen Casino events, firework season servicing both on site and off site stands, the annual tribal pow wow and funeral escorts. These officers are also responsible for conducting routine patrols and monitoring harvesting activities of the Usual and accustomed fishing and hunting areas of the Puyallup Tribe. The Police Department currently has four officers that are also certified divers.

Annually the Puyallup Tribal Police Department has documented more than 5,000 cases and made more than 900 arrests. Investigation demands from this workload are tremendous, detectives are handling more than 1,000 cases per year and have concluded 70% of those cases.

The Department has hired a full-time domestic violence/child protective services investigator to focus only on DV and CPS related cases.

Gang activity has increased with more than 28 identified gangs establishing turf within the Puyallup Reservation. With the rise in gang activity, there has been a rise in drive-by type shootings and young members of the tribal community have suffered injury from these assaults. The department has two officers currently working on gang related programs and ways to address these issues. We are working with other tribal police departments and the Puyallup Tribal Gang Task Force. Efforts have included the establishment of a gang intel-procedure and graffiti abatement.

The Tribal Council has approved additional police officer positions to meet these issues head-on. The department is currently working through the hiring process to fill these positions.

Officer Allan Gerking is assigned to Chief Leschi Schools and is available to be on hand at all school events. Officer Gerking has successfully implemented the GREAT (Gang Resistance Education Awareness Training) program at Chief Leschi School. Officer Gerking conducts a G.R.E.A.T. summer program and is hoping to start a G.R.E.A.T. Family class this summer.

The Puyallup Tribal Police Department is currently working with local jurisdictions to address area-wide crime and terrorist issues. The Chief of Police is a member of the Homeland Security Regional Coordinating Council for Region Five of Washington State. The purpose of this council is to determine when and how the homeland security funding grants will be used in the county and to develop plans for emergency response. Tribal police are now part of the Pierce County Metro Lab team which responds to all methanphetamine labs within the Pierce County area. Puyallup tribal police officers have also received a special commission from the City of Fife Police Department.

The Puyallup Tribe has formed a partnership with local jurisdictions in developing the Lahar early warning system. The Puyallup Tribe has been working with these agencies to implement procedures should the system need to be activated. The Puyallup Tribal Police Department would be responsible for notification and evacuation of tribal businesses and communities.

The Puyallup Tribal Police Department continues to improve services and response time through the use of mobile data units in the patrol vehicles. This allows officers to complete reports in their patrol units. This project was implemented earlier last year and has proven to improve response time and cut down on overtime by eliminating the need to return to the police department to complete a police report.

The department has been successful in obtaining a $150,000 grant through the Department of Justice to purchase new police equipment.

With the help the Puyallup Tribal Housing Program the police department is in the process of hiring a full-time police officer dedicated to housing in an effort to improve police services and resources to the Puyallup Tribal communities.

n Puyallup Tribal Detention Facility

Puyallup tribal detention facility is equipped to handle short-term sentencing, up to a year incarceration, for misdemeanor offenses. The Detention facility is available to enrolled members of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. This privilege is at no cost to the sentencing jurisdiction. The Puyallup Tribal Detention Facility is equipped to handle inmates on work release. Counseling sessions such as alcohol, drug or family counseling is available to inmates from Kwawachee Counseling Center if required by the sentencing Court.