Tribe Commits Officer to Drug Taskforce, Feb. 5

Coquille Tribal release – The South Coast’s drug-fighting team, endangered by a staffing shortage, has received a boost from the Coquille Indian Tribe. The Tribe has committed a full-time officer, representing 25 percent of the Tribe’s entire police force, to the South Coast Interagency Narcotics Taskforce. “This is a sacrifice for us,” said Tribal Chairwoman Brenda Meade. “It demonstrates just how important we think this work is.” SCINT is a multi-agency drug enforcement team, employing officers on loan from various local police forces.  But local agencies, citing personnel constraints of their own, have pulled officers back from the taskforce. As of December, the team reportedly had shrunk to just two officers and an office manager, and officials warned that the agency faced extinction. “We’re challenging other agencies to dig deep and renew their commitment to SCINT,” said Brenda Meade, chairwoman of the Coquille Tribe. “The Coquille Tribe only has four officers. If we can commit one-fourth of our department, I think the bigger departments ought to be able to pitch in as well.” The Coquille Tribal Police Department exists partly to patrol tribal lands, including the Kilkich housing development near Charleston. But tribal officers are fully trained and empowered to enforce the law elsewhere. Much of their work involves assisting city and county officers. In 2018, the tribe’s officers responded 235 times to assist other law enforcement agencies. The tribal force routinely deploys its drug-sniffing K-9 units to help other agencies. The tribe’s police station at Kilkich also serves as a substation for the Coos County Sheriff’s Department, providing office space where deputies can file reports without returning to their main office. The tribe’s commitment to SCINT is open-ended. Meade said helping the broader community is part of “potlatch,” a sharing tradition long practiced by coastal Indians.  “We’re making this contribution not only to improve the safety of our own people, but to help the whole community,” she said. SCINT’s fate may not be known until a meeting in late February, when city, county and state agencies are scheduled to talk about the staff support they can give SCINT.  “We hope our decision inspires some other agencies to rebuild SCINT,” Meade said. “The community needs it.”