The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians marked another milestone in the restoration of its homelands in Indiana with the opening of a police substation that will service the site of its forthcoming casino.
The 4,600 square-foot facility in South Bend is located on a 166-acre site that was placed in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs toward the end of the Obama administration. It will be staffed by eight police officers, two sergeants, a detective and a lieutenant, The South Bend Tribune reported. "Flags raised, tribal police ready to serve in #SouthBend," the tribe wrote in a post on Twitter on Monday, when the station opened.Tribal Police Honor Guard raising flags on our South Bend land for the first time pic.twitter.com/CJqlXo2xJz
— Pokagon Potawatomi (@Pokegnek) November 20, 2017
Tribal police officers will be able to enforce state and local laws under an agreement reached with St. Joseph County, The Tribune reported. County police will be able to enforce tribal laws, the paper said. Additionally, the tribe has agreed to pay the county to house inmates. The state still needs to sign off on the plan, the paper reported. The tribe will be opening the Four Winds Casino. on the site in early 2018. It's the first Indian gaming facility in Indiana. The tribe operates three Four Winds facilities across the border in Michigan. Read More on the Story:Tribal Police Honor Guard raising flags on our South Bend land for the first time pic.twitter.com/CJqlXo2xJz
— Pokagon Potawatomi (@Pokegnek) November 20, 2017