Rounds renews call for tribal police academy in South Dakota

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds has once-again asked the Department of the Interior to establish a Bureau of Indian Affairs tribal law enforcement training center in South Dakota, according to South Dakota Searchlight. In a May 12 letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Rounds said that the distance to the current training facility in New Mexico is a recruitment barrier for tribal law enforcement.

The request follows a 2024 effort by Rounds and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson to push for a regional Bureau of Indian Affairs training center. Rounds pointed to last summer’s state-led law enforcement training session in Pierre as evidence that a local facility can support Native recruits. That session allowed 11 recruits to complete certification and participate in a remote BIA module, typically held in New Mexico, South Dakota Searchlight reported.