"he Navajo Nation has 275 police officers to cover more than 27,000 square miles - an area the size of West Virginia. As a sovereign nation, it has jurisdiction on its own land. But the reservation also covers seven counties in three states, and the local authorities have been talking for years about cross-deputizing their officers to operate legally on the reservation.

Rick Eldredge has been San Juan County Sheriff for less than a year. He was elected to the position in 2010, in part with support from the Navajo residents of San Juan County, who make up about half the population. Eldredge says cross-deputizing his officers with the Navajo Nation Police is a top priority. "See, right now, Navajo police are not able to arrest anybody who's non-Native American on the reservation. It is handled by, such as myself, local jurisdictions if they commit a crime down on the reservation. They want the power to be able to arrest those people and that's fine by me.""

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San Juan Sheriff Seeks Agreement with Navajo Police (KUER 9/21)