The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police has a new home, though the department will stay in the same location for many years to come.
Before 2008, when the tribal police moved into 202 US-41, the site was home to the casino, then a tire shop. Police Chief Dale Goodreau says the grant project significantly improves the facility’s safety for staff and allows police to function as a modern department.
“As far as security, there wasn’t any security. I mean, it was just a building, wide open. We had a couple offices, a couple of rooms were built and that was doable, but it was by far not secure,” said Dale Goodreau, chief of police for KBIC Tribal Police.
Before receiving the grant funds and completing the work inside the revamped facility, the KBIC tribal police station had a very open floor plan, which was not safe for staff and the public. The improvements in the space also add two holding cells. KBIC Tribal Police have several contracts with local county sheriff offices to house inmates for longer terms. But before the recent work, there were no holding cells, requiring officers to spend more time outside of the KBIC tribal police’s service area.
“If an officer needs to do something further with somebody, they can bring them here. We got a holding cell for a four-hour period. An officer can get all the work he needs done. Ultimately, that’s what we want to do before we can establish them in another jail,” said Everett Ekdahl Jr., president of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
Assistant CEO Jennifer Misegan helped lead the team on the grant. She says it was a project that was needed for the community as Keweenaw Bay grows.
“We seem to always make do with what we have and that works for a while, but it’s something that our officers can be proud of. They can be proud to come to work and work in a facility like this and it’s really great for a community to see that we’re putting this investment of time really. Because it was mostly an investment of time for our staff,” said Jennifer Misegan, assistant CEO of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
KBIC received a $1.3 million grant award from the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Program with the United States Department of Justice. The award fully funded the improvements to the facility, setting up a walled entry point to greet people coming in, holding cells the department did not have prior, and a large garage to clean and store vehicles. Keweenaw Bay Indian Community contracted Gundlach Champion for the project. Officials thanked several individuals and organizations who contributed to the new KBIC Tribal Police Department headquarters.
Comments