- 
      - **  Home
      - **   About Us
      - **  Archives
      - **   Events
      - **  Publications

### Contact Us

To provide feedback on the Community Policing Dispatch, e-mail the editorial board at CPDispatch@usdoj.gov.

To obtain details on COPS Office programs, publications, and resources, contact the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov

**U.S. Department of Justice**        Office of Community Oriented Policing Services            145 N Street, N.E.       Washington, DC 20530      www.cops.usdoj.gov×         Menu         - Home
- About Us
- Archives
- Events
- Publications
- Contact Us
**The Laguna Pueblo Public Safety Department:Proactive Approach to Trust-Buildingand Community Policing**
 November 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 11

*The COPS Office is pleased to feature the Laguna Pueblo Public Safety Department as the November 2018 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest. The winning photo was taken during the law enforcement program’s new “Shop with a Cop” initiative and features Lieutenant Frances Flores with her new friend before embarking on the day’s activities.*

The Laguna Pueblo Reservation is located on the Interstate  40 corridor, about 45 miles west of New Mexico’s biggest metropolitan area, Albuquerque.  The 500,000 acre reservation is home to 3,000 tribal members who live in six  villages across the area. The Laguna Pueblo Public Safety Department (PSD), in  the village of Laguna, is responsible for protecting the reservation and its  residents.

The sheer size of the reservation can make community  policing difficult for the department. Police Chief Greg Toya says that  “because we are spread out here, just the ability to consistently reach out  with the community” can be a challenge. 

 To deal with the distances, each year the law enforcement  program sets public safety and community policing goals for the reservation as  a whole and for the individual villages. “Each village uniquely has its own  needs and requirements for law enforcement,” says Chief Toya. The officers  holds themselves accountable for achieving these objectives with “meetings either  quarterly or biannually just to make sure we are on track with our goals and  objectives.” 

 The officers also attend each of the six village’s  biweekly meetings to better understand each village’s needs and to build  relationships with the residents and tribal members. “We try not to rotate the  officers at the various meetings,” explained Chief Toya. “We try to have the  same representation so that [the officers] are able to form friendships, trust,  and good communication skills.” 

 In the past four to five years, the Pueblo Laguna PSD has  joined national initiatives such as Shop with a Cop and National Night Out. The  PSD also has local community policing initiatives of their own, which  incorporate the reservation’s Native American heritage. For example, both the  Archery Program and the Junior Ranger Expo were launched to teach children  about archery, hunting, and traditional harvesting of animals. The officers  mentor the children through these programs, while the youth learn about  survival skills in the wild, tribal customs, conservation practices, archery,  firearm safety, and more. Lieutenant Flores says that these programs work here  because they are “unique to Indian Country and to Laguna Pueblo” and appeal to  the community’s individuality.

 The winning photo contest image was taken during a “Shop  with a Cop” event, which the Laguna Pueblo started in their community several  years ago. The program has become so popular in the community that the event  was rebranded to “Badges with Buddies” in order to include the entire Laguna  Pueblo Public Safety Department. Each division in the department goes above and  beyond to plan for this day in order to make it special for the children and  their families.

 The department works with social services and behavioral  health departments to help select underprivileged families that would benefit  most from the “Badges and Buddies” event. The officers are assigned a “buddy”  to spend the day with—in the winning photo, Lieutenant Frances Flores is  pictured with her buddy, Gracie. The day is filled with activities starting  with an 8:30 AM pick up and escorted “siren” ride down the main road of the reservation,  led by Santa on the fire truck. The department hosts a breakfast for the  children and their families to familiarize the officers with the buddies, “because  we know if the families are comfortable then the child will more likely to be  comfortable,” Lieutenant Flores explained. 

 After breakfast, the officers and buddies travel to the  Albuquerque Walmart for some holiday shopping followed by pizza. Lieutenant  Flores said that the officers take the initiative to “meet with the family  before [the day] to see what the child’s needs are as far as clothing, shoes,  and jackets.” This way, the officer is able to provide the child with a  necessary item in addition to their toy. 

 At the end of the day, the officers drop off their buddy  with not only the gifts but also a Christmas dinner for each family. Lieutenant  Flores recognized that “it’s a really long day, but a really rewarding day,”  for both the officer and the buddy. 

 The enthusiasm surrounding these programs is undeniable  and the results are seen through the relationships built in the community.  Lieutenant Flores, who has worked for the Laguna Pueblo since 1998, says that “we  are truly building relationships. Back in the day, when we would drive down and  patrol the area—the kids would see the cop cars or officers and they would tend  to run away or go back into the house, which was really unacceptable.” With  these programs, she sees that the law enforcement department is making headway  in “changing the perception of the mindset of the children [and their families].”

Written with contributions from Laguna Pueblo Public  Safety Department’s Police Chief Greg Toya, Lieutenant Frances Flores and  Shannon Stevens. Photo courtesy of Shannon Stevens of the Laguna Pueblo Public  Safety Department. ****

 Madeleine Smith          COPS Office

Tweet

**Read more of the November Dispatch**
- Director’s Corner:              Recognizing Law Enforcement Excellence
- Profiles of Distinguished Law Enforcement
- Honor and Courage: Responding to Tragedy
- Leading by Example: Building Relationships with Youth
- COPS Office Increases Tribal Access to Critical Crime Information with $1.5 Million in Support
- New Publications from the COPS Office
**Subscribe to Email Updates**
To sign up for monthly updates or to access your subscriber preferences, please enter your email address in the Subscribe box.
Email
The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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

**Explore**
- Home
- About Us
- Archives
- Events
- Publications
- Contact Us
**Connect With Us**
Want to stay connected with the COPS office?             Follow us on social media!
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
 FOIA 

 No FEAR Act 

 Open Government 

 Plain Writing 

 USA.gov 

 Legal Policies and Disclaimers 

 Language Access Plan 

 DOJ Privacy Policy