As a Kiowa tribal member who has worked in Indian Country law enforcement for more than 20 years, Micah Ware, a Supervisory Special Agent in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS), was keenly aware of the challenges faced by Indian youth. And over the years, he also observed how youth programs tailored to their needs and culture can positively impact these children.

To help these young people build upon their individual potential and inspire them to use it for the good of their communities, he spearheaded the launch of the BIA-BIE Youth Indian Police Academy in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) in 2023.

The free academy is hosted at the Bureau of Indian Education’s Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, Oklahoma, and ran from June 16–28 in its second year. The academy is open to high school students from all tribes as well as non-native youth. The 35 young people who attended in 2024 came from 13 states and 23 tribes, including Alaska Natives. About half were girls.

Asked why he started the academy when there are other programs available to Indian youth, Ware said “I wanted to start something that we could incorporate in BIA, which would enable a steady funding source and support an annual program through OJS.

“We also wanted a high quality, permanent venue in a location that wasn’t too difficult to get to from other parts of the country. So we teamed up with BIE, which was a perfect partner. Not only did they provide a wonderful venue—Riverside is BIE’s largest off-reservation boarding school with dormitories, gyms, and school buses—but a great staff of educators.”

Hands-On Training, Team Building, and Cultural Traditions

In addition to team building activities, the students were introduced to a wide variety of police and first responder professions, learning about the specialized skills unique to each profession.

Among the activities were the Tactical Training Exercises with the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police, who brought their Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and Bearcat vehicle to teach the kids about SWAT operations and let them handle the equipment.

The students also received a use-of-force class which covers the “objective reasonableness” standard that law enforcement officers are held to in use of force applications. After this, they went to a simulator and experienced tactical scenarios. This opportunity to use what they learned also taught the students to use good judgement in stressful situations while adhering to the law.

Other hands-on training activities included accident investigation and crime scene labs, driving under the influence simulations, and special weapons and K9 demonstrations. The students also learned basic life saving techniques and earned emergency medical services certificates.

Said Ware, “We partner with the Indian Health Service, and their team instructs kids in cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], first aid, and related health methods, and they get a certificate of completion for the class. It’s very impactful for these kids—they learn life saving measures they can take home with them.”

In describing how the academy brings a disparate group of young people together, Ware said, “We’ve structured the academy in a crawl, walk, run phase. In the beginning, the kids are shy and don’t interact much. So, in the first class, we have Native motivational speakers come do icebreaker sessions with the students to break down barriers and encourage them to communicate and help each other.

“Day two, we go to the Fort Sill Army Base, where the military police help the kids go through the ropes and challenge courses. They do it as squads, building teamwork skills.

“The academy really kicks off on day three. We show the students everything BIA and OJS does, including our corrections program, criminal investigations, victim services, drug enforcement, and patrol operations. They also learn about our Cultural Resources Unit, which investigates stolen native artifacts, and our Missing and Murdered Unit.

“People from the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and Secret Service also address the students, and they talk to our U.S. Attorney’s Office as well. This year, they are visiting the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and learning from federal judges how they support the Indian country communities.

“Field trips included a trip to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation crime lab, which put on a class and took the kids on a tour of their lab. They also visited the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes.

“There is a cultural aspect to this academy too, which several students have said was ‘really awesome.’ And since we are in Kiowa country, we sing our Kiowa flag song while raising the United States flag every morning.

“After hours, academy employees do drum making classes. We give the kids leather and tools to make their own hand drums, which they can paint and take home as mementos. We also do smudging, a ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts with burnt sage or cedar, and teach them how to raise a teepee. This year, they can also participate in the sweat lodge we made for them.”

Helping Highly Motivated, Intelligent Youth Reach Their Goals

These students were selected by a panel which reviewed the essays each one wrote, describing why they wanted to attend. “This wasn’t an English essay contest; we didn’t care about grammar or spelling,” he said. “The fact that they put an effort into writing these essays and thought about why they wanted to attend was most important to us.”

“We want highly motivated, intelligent kids who get along well with others and want to make a difference in Indian country. It is our hope that they will pursue a career of service to their community. And though it would be awesome if they wanted to work for us at BIA, we’d be very happy to see them become police, nurses, firefighters, council members, or serve their community in any other positive way.”

Asked how the academy affected the students, Ware recalled parents saying that their kids were different when they come home, in a positive way.

“According to some parents, it was life-changing for their children. One father said that his child talks about the academy a lot at home. They come away from this program with a meaningful life experience, new friendships, and an awareness of career opportunities available to them as young adults. Our motto is ‘Inspire, Motivate, and Mentor’ our Native youth.”

To learn more about the program, see the BIA - BIE Youth Indian Police Academy - Experience video on YouTube.

Images courtesy of the BIA-BIE Youth Indian Police Academy.

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