Ada — WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) secured language in the Senate passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act that will allow East Central University (ECU) in Ada to continue training law enforcement officers currently serving in Indian country. As originally written, the bill permitted law enforcement personnel of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services or an Indian tribe to obtain training at a state or tribal police academy, a local or tribal community college, or another training academy that meets the relevant Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) requirements but left out state and regional university programs like the programs offered at ECU.
    Inhofe placed a hold on the bill and required that the sponsor of the legislation amend the language to include state and regional colleges and universities, including ECU, before its passage.  The Tribal Law and Order Act passed the U.S. Senate with the amended language Thursday night by unanimous consent.
    “When President Hargrave and Professor (Steve) Turner initially approached me with the problems in the legislation, the solution was apparent,” said Inhofe. “I simply wasn’t going to allow the Tribal Law and Order Act to pass the United States Senate unless it included East Central University. As a long supporter of ECU, I have previously secured $1.2 million for forensic equipment for the criminal justice programs to ensure that ECU maintains one of the most premiere training centers in the United States for tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers. This legislation ensures that this will continue unabated.”
    “Over the past five years East Central University’s Tribal Police Training Program has provided advanced training to more than 950 police officers from Indian country," said ECU President John Hargrave. "These officers represent 88 entities from 27 states. The Tribal Law and Order Act in its original format would have prevented ECU from continuing these types of trainings and would have negatively impacted tribal police officers from across the country.
    "Additionally, it would have made it difficult for graduates of ECU’s Collegiate Officer Program to have their training recognized as POST Equivalent when applying for some positions. We want to thank Senator Inhofe for his direct involvement and diligence in holding the bill until the language could be corrected. ECU will now be able to continue offering the Tribal Police Training Program. Senator Inhofe has long been an advocate for ECU’s Law Enforcement Program and the Council for Law Enforcement Education and Training in Ada.”
    Each state has its own POST Program, including Oklahoma’s Council for Law Enforcement Education and Training program. In 1995 ECU became the charter university to create a POST Equivalent Program in Oklahoma which provides students with a prescribed plan of study to graduate with full police certification.