Chief of Mashantucket Tribe's police department abruptly resigns

Friday, June 1, 2012  

Daniel Collins, the chief of police for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut, resigned unexpectedly on Thursday, the Associated Press reports.

Collins resigned after the AP asked questions about the tribe's police force. Former officers say the department is ill-equipped to patrol the reservation, home to one of the largest casinos in the world.

"The chief doesn't want tribal members to be investigated, to be prosecuted in any way, because then it comes back on him," Steve Saucier, a former officer, told the AP. "If we do arrest somebody and it goes to tribal court, they throw it out. It does absolutely nothing."

The force has nine officers, including the chief and two recent recruits. Response times are slow and the tribe often has to call the state for backup, a former officer said.

Get the Story:
Mashantucket police chief resigns amid move to take on Foxwoods beat (The New London Day 5/31)
Troubled tribal police seek bigger Foxwoods role (AP 5/31)