Seneca Nation citizens voted against creating a tribal police department in a referendum, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. announced Friday.
The “no” vote means that the Seneca Nation Council will “not take any action in the near or immediate future to establish a police department.”
“The Seneca Nation Council and Executives will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure and enhance public safety on the territories,” Armstrong said in a statement.
The referendum was held on July 12 after several Q&A sessions with nation officials. Armstrong did not provide a vote breakdown or turnout numbers.
If the resolution were approved, estimates from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) indicate the nation would’ve needed to hire 41 full-time staff members at a cost of about $43 million, according to Seneca Nation Communications. The nation added that it had “no plans now, or in the future, to levy or assess taxes to fund a police department.” Many tribal police departments are funded with federal grants.
The Seneca Nation will continue to operate a dispatch center and a force of Marshals. The Seneca Nation Marshals act as bailiffs, building security and public safety officers, but are not police officers.
The referendum asked Seneca citizens to vote yes or no on two questions:
1. Do you support the Seneca Nation creating and operating a police department?
2. Do you support the Seneca Nation entering into agreements with local, state, and/or federal authorities for the Seneca Nation to exercise criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians?