Operation Dakota Peace Keeper is one of those odd creatures that I'm surprised people think will work. I could get on my soapbox and state that Americans are notoriously easily confused about how a swift application of power works in the long-term. Say what you will about the Iraq War Surge, I don't think things would be very peaceful in Baghdad the day after the U.S. Military leaves. Apply that thought process to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. How many miscreants are just waiting for the end of the 90 day reign of Operation Dakota Peace Keeper?
How peaceful will things stay then?
I also felt a bit chilled when I read this:
"Ragsdale said the BIA hopes to apply what it learns from Dakota Peacekeeper to law enforcement challenges throughout Indian Country."
Let's hope that some forethought and planning can be fused into the Reservation Peacekeeper frame before they start crusading around Indian Country without a care to the community after they leave, or the legal system in the process.
from the Argus Leader:
So far, officers have made 684 arrests, including 88 juveniles. Sobriety checkpoints are being set up. Police are spending time with youths who previously roamed the night and vandalized property at will.
"So many people tell us, 'I can finally sleep at night,' " Elmer Four Dance, special agent for the BIA in charge at the Aberdeen District, told Sen. John Thune during a visit to Standing Rock early this month.
Whether the relative peace will continue is not certain, though. A formerly firm BIA commitment has softened amid funding concerns. More immediately, the court system has been flooded with cases, and jurisdictional problems between tribal and non-Indian law enforcement persist.
In groups of 20, each working 30-day shifts, the officers patrol this 2.3 million acre reservation that straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border.
