Treaty 3 Police
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In 1999, Treaty #3 set out on a course to form their own police force. It took four years.
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[edit] Inception
Formally incorporated on April 1st 2003, the Treaty Three Police Service assumed all policing duties from the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) administered First Nations Program to become the latest stand alone police force in Canada. Currently serving officers were signed on and the initial group of 12 newly hired recruits attended the Ontario Police College were sent to Aylmer Ontario in spring of 2003.
[edit] Geography
Treaty Three Police services 18 550 First Nations residents in 28 First Nation Territories in the Kenora and Rainy River districts. Due to the vast patrol area, (55,000 square miles) T3PS was divided into two major "subdivisions" with smaller satellite detachments left over from the OPP administered program. The Kenora Sub Division was headquartered in Dalles First Nation. Territories in the Rainy River district operated out of the Couchiching Sub Division, located on Couchiching First Nations, just outside Fort Frances Ontario.
[edit] Staff
The City of Kenora hosts the Treaty Three Headquarters, where Chief of Police Brian Rupert oversees daily operations. Until his recent retirement , Deputy Chief Wally McLeod surpervised the Kenora SubDivision from both here and the Kenora OPP detachment. Deputy Chief Ernest Jones was his counterpart in Couchiching until his retirement in the summer of 2006. Staff Sgt Larry Indian has since taken over. Deputy Chief Louie Napish currently serves as second in commnad of T3PS. Assisting them are several Staff Sergeants, some of whom are retired or seconds OPP officers. Treaty Three has its own Crime Unit also based in Kenora led by Detective Sergeant Rob Bears, assisted by several Detective constables. Like other police services, the Detective branch runs parallel to the front line officers.
Each Sub Division (sometimes referred to as "detachment", a holdover term from the OPP program) employs a number of Sergeants who answer to the sub-division commander in the day to day operations. Front line policing is performed by officers with the rank of Constable. After graduating Ontario police college, each recruit is granted the rank of Fifth Class constable (roughly equivalent to the OPP recruit constable), promoted based on experience, reaching the rank of First Class constable within three years.
[edit] Transportation
Currently T3PS uses the Chevy Impala and Chevy Tahoe after the OPP Ford Victoria, Expedition and Excursions were phased out. Also in service are boats, fourwheelers and snow machines, allowing for a variety of deployment methods.
T3PS also uses the same personal equipment, radio and computer systems and training system (such as the annual "block training" ) as the OPP, since the majority of the equipment and operations used by the First nations program is still used by the current service, allowing ease of use, and greater cooperation between neighbouring forces until T3PS can provide its own in-service training units and new police facilities.
T3PS's motto is "policing for the people by the people"
