Eleven police officers serving the Blackfeet tribe have been furloughed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Great Falls Tribune reported on March 6.
At issue is the tribal department not conducting complete background checks, as required by the federal agency, on the officers, all who have been with the department since last January. The officers have been trained and certified but only passed preliminary background checks.
The tribal department is pointing the finger at the BIA. Henry Devereaux, the department's interim director, said the agency never adjudicated the officers with the more in-depth background checks.
Yet the BIA tosses the blame back. Elizabeth Hall, deputy special agent for the BIA in Billings, said: "That's not our responsibility. … The tribe is supposed to do the background checks."
Also, before January, the BIA had not conducted a review of the two-year-old program, which is under a three-year contract.
The furloughed officers have been replaced with nine BIA officers, who will remain in place until the background checks are done.
If hired by the BIA, it is there job, to do the background check. Payroll is from BIA?
ReplyDeletehow long will it take? im an officer that just finished the montana law enforcement accademy and am without a job waiting for my backround to ajudicate im going crazy i need to work i love the line of work im choosing to make my career but please hurry with my backround so i can support my family please?
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