The Academy one of three law enforcement academies located on the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, New Mexico. The Academy designs and delivers training specific to Indian Country Justice Services needs for police officers, criminal investigators, correctional officers, dispatchers, and command staff.
In 2020, the academy opened the Advanced Training Center (ATC) on Camp Grafton, North Dakota to deliver specialized advanced training in criminal investigation, drug enforcement, and command school programs. The academy continues to support training provided at the FLETC-Glynco and exported to Indian Country departments.
The Academy Staff consists of a Director, Deputy, Training Specialists, Law Enforcement Specialist, Program Analyst, and Police and Correction Lieutenant Instructors.
History of the U.S. Indian Police AcademyEstablished as the U.S. Indian Police Training and Research Center, the Academy opened in Roswell, New Mexico, on the site of a former Air Force base on December 17, 1968. The Academy began training law enforcement officers from throughout the United States who serve tribal communities. The Academy soon expanded to provide specialized training for supervisors, juvenile officers, criminal investigators, and detention personnel. By 1971, the Academy was involved in assisting and/or conducting field in-service training as necessary for specialized subjects.
The Academy was operated during this period by the BIA’s division of Judicial, Prevention and Enforcement Services, through a contract with the Thiokol Chemical Corporation. Fiscal Administration was provided by a resident coordinator from the Employment Assistance Division of the Office of Community Services while Thiokol administered the program with instructional staff drawn from local, state, federal and tribal agencies, as well as universities and private firms.
In 1973, the Academy was relocated to the Inter-mountain Inter-tribal School campus, Brigham City, Utah, as an operation of BIA’s Central Office, Division of Law Enforcement Services. The Division of Law and Order, Research and Statistical Unit, established in 1970 at Pierre, South Dakota was also reassigned to the Brigham City campus and the two units were combined as the Center for U.S. Indian Police Training and Research. In 1979, the Center was removed from the Division of Law Enforcement Services and assigned to the Office of Technical Assistance and Training.
In October 1984, the Academy opened in Marana, Arizona under auspices of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where it continued basic police training. During this period the Indian Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was built.
In January 1993, the Academy relocated to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico, the current location of the Academy. The Indian Law Enforcement Officer Memorial was also relocated to the center.
