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**Securing the Future of Law Enforcement by Looking to the Past: The Rapid City Recruitment Program**
 October 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 9

*Rapid City Police Department  partnered with the COPS office on Microgrant award 2017CKWX0014 ‘Rapid City  Police Department’s Akicita Native American Law Enforcement Recruit Development  Program’.*

 With the  goal of increasing Native American employment to more closely reflect the  community it serves, the Rapid City (South Dakota) Police  Department (RCPD) partnered  with the local technical college, Western Dakota Tech (WDT) to create a mentorship and by a  grant through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing  Services (COPS Office). The successful program can serve as a model for other  law enforcement agencies looking to increase Native American employment.  
 Background
 Rapid City  is home to many Native Americans, primarily Lakota. The 2010 U.S. Census  reported that Native Americans accounted for 12.4 percent of the city’s general  population at the time, with 80.4 percent of the population reported as white.

 With several  Native American officers already on the force, the RCPD set out to specifically  increase its recruitment and hiring efforts. A committee was formed with representation  from interested community members and RCPD leadership and employees, including  current and retired Native American officers, to brainstorm ideas.

 The  committee discussed how some of the central ideas of community policing were an  important part of Lakota history. The Lakota’s Akicita Society provided  structure and policing in their camps, among other important duties; an Akicita  position came with great respect and great responsibility. The Akicita were the  guardians, the protectors of the people, and the keepers of order. 

 The  committee decided that honoring the importance of the Akicita could be a  culturally appropriate way to connect with Native Americans and, hopefully,  attract them into considering law enforcement as a career.
 College Partnership
 In early  2017, RCPD Chief of Police Karl Jegeris approached WDT President Ann Bolman,  Ed.D., with a proposal that the college assist the RCPD in the Akicita mentorship  and recruiting program. WDT was the perfect fit for the program, as it has a  longstanding successful academic program to train law enforcement officers, and  it has a Native American student population that ranges between 10 and 14  percent. President Bolman enthusiastically agreed to join forces for the  benefit of all.
 Akicita Program – Making A Difference
 Notable  program achievements made possible as a result of the COPS Office grant include  the following:
- October 2018—Mentorship program begins.  Twenty-one WDT criminal justice students were paired with a local law  enforcement mentor. Throughout the school year, students joined their mentors  for law enforcement ride-alongs, job shadowing, meetings, and interactions with  other professionals as their mentors arranged for opportunities to explore the  many facets of criminal justice. 
- December 6, 2018—Recognition ceremony hosted for  Akicita mentors and students during a special ceremony at WDT.  
- March 28, 2019—Craig Howe, Ph.D., from the  Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) on the Pine  Ridge Indian Reservation, presented information about the Wounded Knee Massacre  to Akicita students and mentors following a special luncheon in Rapid City.
- April 18, 2019—An Akicita Program Criminal  Justice Expo took place at WDT. Featured breakout sessions for high school  students included a Criminal Justice program tour, a career fair featuring law  enforcement agencies, an Akicita Mentorship panel including law enforcement and  current Akicita program students, and an overview of the WDT Criminal Justice  program. A significant achievement was the attendance of almost 30 high school  students from Pine Ridge High School. The school is on the Pine Ridge  reservation, about two hours from Rapid City; Native American recruitment for  tribal police and  Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)  employment on the reservation has  been difficult as well.
- April 23, 2019—The Defamation Experience, a  nationally-staged play addressing issues including race, class, religion, and  gender, was performed at the college for all WDT criminal justice and law  enforcement students, law enforcement mentors, faculty and staff, and special  guests. During the play, the audience becomes the jury and deliberates the  outcome of a trial. 
- Throughout the program—Several media stories  about the program shone a positive spotlight on the RCPD and WDT. This included  local TV news stories as well as articles in the city’s daily newspaper, the  Rapid City Journal , and the area’s  weekly Native newspaper, the  Native Sun News .  The media coverage helped increase knowledge and excitement about the program.
Reflections
*Don Hedrick, Rapid City Assistant Chief of Police, left, was the Akicita mentor to Western Dakota Tech Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement student Cecelia White Eagle, right.*

The Akicita  Mentorship Program has proven to be a win-win for all involved—the RCDP, WDT,  criminal justice students, law enforcement mentors, and the Rapid City community.

 Chief  Jegeris said he and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom fully support the  Akicita Program and are pleased with the positive feedback received from their  participating mentors.

 “Sheriff  Thom and I want to do everything we can to reflect the diversity in the communities  we serve,” he said. “We are basically working with Western Dakota Tech to hand  grow those individuals who will be hopefully joining our, and other area, law  enforcement organizations in the future.”

 Heidi  Mecham was the Akicita Mentorship Program Project Support Specialist; this position  ended with grant conclusion and the duties are being absorbed by the RCPD and  WDT. She shared her thoughts regarding the program: 

 “Students  were enthusiastic to have the program going; they were eager to explore the  field of criminal justice with a professional in the field. After being paired  with their mentor and asked how the meetings are going, the students’ responses  were smiles and positive comments,” Mecham said. 

 “Mentors  were eager to work with our students and help them explore the field and  provide insight and support. We have had a great response from the agencies  involved,” she added.

 It is too  early right now to provide definitive data regarding the impact of the Akicita  Mentorship Program. However, the organizations are seeing successful candidates  being produced by the program, with the RCPD recently hiring one program  alumni.
 Next Steps
 The Rapid  City Police Department and Western Dakota Tech will continue to partner to  offer the Akicita Mentorship Program to Native American Criminal Justice  students. They will also host an annual law enforcement recruiting event with  an emphasis on Native American recruitment.

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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