History was made Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the USIPA Advanced Training Center as the community and guests gathered to honor the first graduating class of the US Indian Police Academy located at Camp Gilbert Grafton, just south of Devils Lake, ND.
Deputy Chief of Training, Derylwin Cleveland, White Mountain Apache Tribe, served as Master of Ceremony for the program. He called it, “A momentous occasion” explaining how this day came to be, giving a brief history of the program that has been operating since 1969, in Roswell, New Mexico, on a former Air Force base, “Educating, training and inspiring leaders of character for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal Nations.”
Under the authority of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, the second United States Indian Police Academy Advanced Training Center is now also located in the Lake Region at Camp Grafton.
This new facility is a pilot program to help tribes obtain the advanced education and training for their tribal corrections officers. The additional location is beneficial for those who live and work in the northern tier of the country and have to respond to many different situations often in weather that can be a significant challenge, and is significantly different from New Mexico’s climate. This fact was highlighted by CO Benjamin Meland, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Police, from South Dakota, who presented the Invocation. He told the crowd that when he heard there would be an advanced training center in North Dakota he “jumped at the chance to enroll because I am not built for the climate in New Mexico.” That brought a laugh from the crowd.
Chief of Training, Brandon Satepauhoodle Mikkanen, Kiowa Tribe, gave the welcoming remarks and introduced the first speaker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, Scott Davis, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, who delivered a special message from his position working under Secretary Doug Burgum, the United States Secretary of the Interior. His remarks also provided a bit of history about how this Academy came about and how he and his former bosses (back in the early 2000s, it was then Governors Burgum and John Hoeven) had hoped to encourage more trained officers for Native corrections and police facilities. He said it was important to have a facility closer to home for the men and women corrections officers and tribal police seeking advanced training, ending with “As your relative I am proud of you all and the work you do with our relatives in crisis.”
Sgt. Tresa Longie-Grey Water, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, was next to the podium to present special awards to some of the graduates. As their primary training officer she said that since “Day one, I’ve been proud of all of you! Thank you to the class of 153B (Bravo),” singling out Cadet Mellund for his integrity and motivation during training. She also recognized Squad Leaders, Lue Bettelyoun, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Corrections, South Dakota, and Cameron Spotted Bird, Fort Peck Adult Corrections, Montana. She added that Spotted Bird had the highest average they had ever had, something to be proud about.
U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak was the next dignitary to speak. She began with, “Today matters. This graduation matters, not only to the graduates of 153B, but to all of us. This is not easy work.”
“Thank you for chosing this vocation, because it is not just a job, it is a calling. You in public service go straight towards danger, many times helping people through or in many different situations, trying to bring peace to often volatile situations,” she added.
The Keynote Speaker, U.S. Senator John Hoeven, spoke in a pre-recorded message on video. He talked about former North Dakota governor Ed Schafer and traveling with him to Bulgaria when it was an emerging democracy. He stated that of all the systems a democracy relies upon the most difficult to develop was the justice system. Hoeven called it the “foundation of our freedom” adding, “So we celebrate a lot today as we recognize these graduates and this center established in North Dakota for their training.”
Then it was time to present the graduates as they received their graduation certificates and the Academy pinning directed by Chief Mikkanen; Lue Bettelyoun, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Corrections, S.D.; Katherine Black Crow, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Dept. of Corrections; Patricia Charboneau, Fort Peck Adult Corrections, MT.; Scott Dreamer, Sr., Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Corrections, S.D.; Amber German, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Police, S.D.; Benjamin Meland, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Police, S.D.; Stanley Petit, Gerald Tex Fox Justice Center, New Town, ND; and Cameron Spotted Bird, Fort Peck Adult Corrections, MT.
As the ceremony came its closing Sgt. Longie-Grey Water led the Oath of Law Enforcement and Code of Ethics, CO Scott Dreamer gave a brief class address, CO Stanley Petit delivered the Benediction and the Lake Region Drum Group provided the Honor Song.
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