FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (Nov. 4, 2003) – Although small with only eight officers, the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribal Police Department is able to respond rapidly to call-outs anywhere across the 1,500-acre reservation through a cooperative agreement with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department. This agreement, now in its eighth year, allows for 911 access to all emergency calls made from the reservation, which includes the Prescott Resort, Frontier Village, and any of the tribal residential areas. The two agencies not only utilize an integrated communications system, but also pool resources with the sheriff officers, serving as backup when needed.

Residential areas and commercial operations on the reservation also receive fire protection through a contract with the City of Prescott. This agreement, the first of its kind between the city and Tribe, is in the second year of a five-year agreement. All fire and medical emergency call-outs are handled by the same 911 dispatchers who then patch the call forward to the City of Prescott’s Fire Department.

In addition, the Tribe has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Prescott Police Department for mutual aid law enforcement. The MOU allows police officers from the Tribe and the City to back each other up in their law enforcement activities.

This year, President Ernie Jones, Sr. estimates that the tribe will pay the county approximately $20,000 for its assistance and the city will be paid $270,000 for its services. According to Jones, this represents an expenditure in excess of $1,000 on behalf of every person living within the reservation.

Jones notes, “Without these type of agreements we would not be able to provide our community with this level of protective services. We believe we have created a win-win situation; we build relationships, provide compensation to the city and county and receive necessary services.”

Located adjacent to Prescott, the Yavapai Reservation encompasses 1,500 acres. Tribal business ventures—including a business park, shopping center and two casinos—provide more than 2,500 jobs and more than $32.6 million in salaries to the local economy.