Photo By Staff Sgt. Adeline Witherspoon | Members of the Washington National Guard Counterdrug Program (CDP), in conjunction...... read more read more
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CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – The Washington National Guard Counterdrug Program (CDP), in conjunction with the Western Regional Counterdrug Training Center (WRCTC), hosted the inaugural Tribal Police Counterdrug Leadership Summit on March 12, 2025, at Camp Murray.
Representatives from over 25 tribal police departments attended the summit, marking the first time in nearly two decades that these departments had come together as a group, providing a much-needed opportunity for networking and the exchange of vital information and strategies.
The summit was convened in direct response to requests from Tribal Police Departments (TPD) and supporting state and federal law enforcement agencies, with sponsorship from the Washington State Tribal Opioid/Fentanyl Task Force, to address the devastating impact of the current drug epidemic on Tribal communities.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division (SFD) website, “fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.” Data presented by the SFD at the summit showed that the overdose fatality rate of American Indians was disproportionately higher than that of other races/ethnicities, citing 168 deaths per 100,000 total population in 2023 and 138 deaths in 2024, and that “tribes are a specific target for distributors and are therefore more vulnerable.”
The summit built upon the statewide effort to combat opioid use disorder by prioritizing Washington National Guard resources, in partnership with state and federal agencies, to support tribal communities in accordance with the Governor's priorities.
"Your attendance today is a testament to your commitment to really get after the synthetic opioid fight in your communities," said Air National Guard Col. Brian Bodenman, Washington National Guard Counterdrug Coordinator, while addressing the Tribal police representatives. "This day is about you, for all of you to walk away from here with additional resources, capabilities, and tools in your tool kit that you didn't have before you walked in this morning."
One of the summit’s leading goals was to inform Tribal Police Departments about the support available to them from the Washington National Guard and the participating state and federal agencies to further Tribal police efforts to respond to the opioid crisis.
“We have multiple counter-drug lines of effort within Washington state,” said Bodenman. “We exist to disrupt, degrade, and defeat drug trafficking organizations through our support of supported agencies. We work in the background. We enable you and we partner with a variety of safe local federal agencies.”
Much of the Washington National Guard’s support to Tribal public safety and public health agencies is through the free training offered by the WRCTC and through CDP’s support of multijurisdictional drug task forces in partnership with the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NWHIDTA) program. The Washington National Guard also supports state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in combating the fentanyl crisis through the 10th Civil Support Team.
Leadership from key federal agencies and programs, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NWHIDTA), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) provided valuable briefings outlining the resources and support they can provide to TPDs. Representatives from the Western District of Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Washington State Patrol (WSP), and the Washington Attorney General’s Office were also in attendance.
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2025 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 494408 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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