Nine tribes to split grant money

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Police Chief Joe Szwarek is enjoying the new year.

Thanks to a $142,000 grant from the state, Szwarek is able to sustain his five-person department on the Bad River Chippewa reservation for another year.

“We would be out of business without it,” Szwarek said.

The grant is part of a $700,000 state allotment for nine tribal programs recently awarded by attorney general J.B. Van Hollen. It is the fourth year in a row that budget funding has been provided for tribal law enforcement improvements.

While the bulk of the Bad River Chippewa grant money will go toward personnel salaries, other tribes typically use the funding for a variety of law enforcement purposes, according to Department of Justice Grants Manager Kelly Kennedy.

Gang violence and drug use have become more prevalent on some reservations, said Kennedy, and the grants provide tribes with the opportunity to develop more effective crime prevention strategies.

“A lot of the money goes for personnel costs, tribal liaison officers with the county, squad cars or even canine units,” Kennedy said. “But there is never enough money to fill all of the requests.”

Tribes need to re-apply every year for grant money and the disbursements are determined by a formula which takes into account population, crime rate and tribal unemployment rate.

Kennedy said in the past, the DOJ has lobbied for an increase in the grant money, but did not ask for one in the next biennium. The total has remained at $700,000 since the program started four years ago.

“Unless it is specifically removed from the budget, it will be an annual appropriation,” said Kennedy.

Szwarek said he appreciates the grant, but also hopes that more might be provided in the future.

He said his goal is to increase his force by at least one officer and provide a better presence in the community.

“We’re spread pretty thin now,” Szwarek said. “We would certainly like to be more proactive, rather than reactive.”