Catawba Indian Nation building first-in-region police force
YORK COUNTY, S.C. July 31, 2023— In the outskirts of York County, history is taking shape.
The Catawba Indian Nation, the region’s only federal recognized Indian tribe, is building on its independence by creating its own police force.
Shawn Butler, the new director of public safety, said the department’s creation has been a dream and a vision for the Catawbas for years.
He’s a part of the team helping to build the new department from the ground up, from new tribal law to uniform and patrol car designs.
“The Catawbas want to implement not only their own tribal laws, rules and regulations,” Butler said, “but they want to have oversight on how those individuals are dealt with so that they can heal those individuals, they can reincorporate them back into the tribe because the tribe is a large family.”
He said the new police force and justice system have been years in the making, after a 1990’s era settlement agreement between the tribe and the state of South Carolina said they could be formed.
A partnership with the York County Sheriff’s Office, who currently serves the tribe, is helping turn these dreams into reality.
Over the next few years, they’ll build out the department and soon have their own law enforcement division to meet the unique needs of their citizens first in South Carolina with the goal of later expanding into their North Carolina tribal lands.
“As we hire individuals to work the streets, we will start to peel back the need for (York County) to be the first responders and at some point, it’ll all be tribal police officers,” Butler said. “Unfortunately, many tribal citizens are dealing with generational trauma that goes way back and if we can somehow figure out a way to correct those issues, to make them be a part of the tribe again, where they are committed, they’re understanding, and they can actually contribute to the vitality of the tribe. That’s what we want.”
The police department and court system are expected to be located near the current government offices on the reservation outside of Rock Hill.
