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Board CONNECTION
AN Indigenous Perspective Rodney Nahwegahbow, Chief of Police, UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service discusses ethics in First Nations Policing How do you define ethics as it relates to First Nations policing?
investigations. Its one of the things that we
our culture because it is so significant to
have made part of our delivery when we
our communities.
are doing these investigations. If we had made no concession for this we would not
How do you promote ethics in the service?
We are a small regional First Nations
be as successful in carrying out our jobs
Self-Administered police service. We
as individuals and as a police service. So
police six First Nations communities
over and above the moral issues, we have
We operate with the Seven Grandfathers
with approximately 2300 people in our
to consider our cultural issues. We have to
teachings, which are actually part of our
communities. We have a governing body,
combine our roles as police officers with
code of ethics. Our own conduct improves
which we call our Police Commission,
our role as community members.
when we understand the weight and
and so we are directed
value of that socially. The
through the principals
overall picture improves
of their operation and
because it improves the
they are governed by the
interaction between the
Teachings of the Seven
public and the police. We
Grandfathers, which is
don’t get a lot of public
part of our First Nations
complaints, and little to
culture.
Seven
no internal complaints
teachings
within our organizations.
The
Grandfathers
is the overlay of our We have policies in place
community make up.
to deal with workplace Health
The First Nations police
Safety.
Situations are more apt
ethics carry the same expectations as the non-
and
UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service Ceremonial Arbour.
to be reported because
service
of the level of comfort
delivery. We are held
instilled in our code of
native
police
up to those standards through our self-
We do have organizational values, two of
conduct and the overall teachings of
administered police agreements. The only
which fall within the Seven Grandfathers
the Seven Grandfathers that we carry as
difference in the way we deliver ethics is
teachings. These are: “Humility: We will
part of our day-to-day lives. We tend to
the community expectations; the way we
listen, recognize and acknowledge the
prioritize the cultural capacity to break
conduct ourselves during an investigation.
uniqueness of others” and “Respect: We
the barriers and influence of colonization,
We would not be as successful at what
will accept and appreciate individual
which has hindered our ability to remedy
we do if we didn’t respect the cultural
differences and opinions.”The other values
situations that befall the community
significance of ceremony. We have our
include Balance, Compassion, Dedication,
when the police and provide intervention.
sacred medicines that we use in our
Integrity, and Teamwork. We try to instil
We know that there is a lot of healing
ceremonies such as smudges. We use
these values in our members and front-
that needs to take place, so we are
sweet grass, tobacco, cedar and sage and
line officers. We are talking about ethics,
trying to exercise our ability to help the
these are often used during our death
but you need to at least have a grasp of
communities mediate these differences,