First Nation Safety Officers in place at Dakota Tipi to enforce bylaws against drugs – PortageOnline
Nov 13 2023
First Nation Safety Officers (FNSOs) have been recruited and trained at Dakota Tipi First Nation to enforce bylaws. Braden Pashe had worked with RCMP in the 80s and 90s, and was able to train three safety officers in Dakota Tipi.
Braden Pashe explains the provincial government won’t enforce the First Nation’s bylaws. He notes offenders must be taken to court, lawyers must be hired in order to enforce them. He notes it makes it hard to prosecute anyone. However, he notes, they have the right as a Sovereign Nation to evict people.
Councillor Karl Stone notes this is one of the reasons they engaged the Safety Officer program.
“It allows us to enforce bylaws on the reserve,” notes Stone. “We couldn’t do that prior to the Safety Officer program coming into play. That’s one of the good things about the program. We can now fight an combat drugs on the reserve.”
