Post by blackcrowheart on Nov 7, 2006 15:05:59 GMT -5
Elite O'odham unit gets new agency link By Jennifer Talhelm The
Associated Press www.azstarnet.com/metro/153866.php
<http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/153866.php>
<http://gcirm.tucson.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/news.azstarnet.com/s\
tories/local/2120295665/300x250_1/OasDefault/CommChange_Buzzmaker2/ccc-b\
log-ad5.gif/33653036386230633435343837636630> WASHINGTON รข€" The
Shadow Wolves, an elite group of American Indian drug trackers, have
been moved to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after lawmakers
complained that the unit was not being used effectively by the Homeland
Security Department. Based on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation
on Arizona's border with Mexico, the Shadow Wolves have been assigned to
the Border Patrol since 2003 after the Homeland Security Department was
created. The Indian agents combine traditional tracking skills with
modern police techniques to thwart drug and human smugglers. But they
say they have become much less effective under the Border Patrol. The
change to Immigration and Customs was mandated as part of a Homeland
Security bill signed earlier this fall, said Lauren Mack, the agency's
Arizona spokeswoman. The move will allow the Shadow Wolves to
investigate drug and human smuggling cases instead of spending most of
their time on patrol. Lawmakers, including Arizona Republican Rep. John
Shadegg, had pleaded with Congress and the Bush administration to move
the Shadow Wolves. Created by Congress in 1972 to foster relations
with the Tohono O'odham Nation and help it patrol its borders, the
Shadow Wolves were famous for their effectiveness. But since they moved
from the now-defunct U.S. Customs Service to the Border Patrol, the unit
has shrunk from 22 agents to 16, mostly because of retirements. They
also say the amount of drugs they have seized has fallen dramatically,
though the Border Patrol has said that claim is inaccurate. House
lawmakers said they were worried about the future of the unit. Shadegg
and Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., introduced a bill this summer that moved
the unit to Immigration and Customs. The measure eventually became
part of the Homeland Security spending bill. Mack said the Shadow
Wolves will be trained in Customs policies and procedures and other
criminal investigation work and will be assigned to the agency's Tucson
office. A Border Patrol spokesman in Arizona could not immediately be
reached for comment. "I hope they will make good use of the Shadow
Wolves out here," said Marvin Eleando, a former Shadow Wolf who retired
in 2004 partly out of frustration. "I hope (Immigration and Customs)
will give them a chance to show what they are capable of."
Associated Press www.azstarnet.com/metro/153866.php
<http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/153866.php>
<http://gcirm.tucson.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/news.azstarnet.com/s\
tories/local/2120295665/300x250_1/OasDefault/CommChange_Buzzmaker2/ccc-b\
log-ad5.gif/33653036386230633435343837636630> WASHINGTON รข€" The
Shadow Wolves, an elite group of American Indian drug trackers, have
been moved to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after lawmakers
complained that the unit was not being used effectively by the Homeland
Security Department. Based on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation
on Arizona's border with Mexico, the Shadow Wolves have been assigned to
the Border Patrol since 2003 after the Homeland Security Department was
created. The Indian agents combine traditional tracking skills with
modern police techniques to thwart drug and human smugglers. But they
say they have become much less effective under the Border Patrol. The
change to Immigration and Customs was mandated as part of a Homeland
Security bill signed earlier this fall, said Lauren Mack, the agency's
Arizona spokeswoman. The move will allow the Shadow Wolves to
investigate drug and human smuggling cases instead of spending most of
their time on patrol. Lawmakers, including Arizona Republican Rep. John
Shadegg, had pleaded with Congress and the Bush administration to move
the Shadow Wolves. Created by Congress in 1972 to foster relations
with the Tohono O'odham Nation and help it patrol its borders, the
Shadow Wolves were famous for their effectiveness. But since they moved
from the now-defunct U.S. Customs Service to the Border Patrol, the unit
has shrunk from 22 agents to 16, mostly because of retirements. They
also say the amount of drugs they have seized has fallen dramatically,
though the Border Patrol has said that claim is inaccurate. House
lawmakers said they were worried about the future of the unit. Shadegg
and Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., introduced a bill this summer that moved
the unit to Immigration and Customs. The measure eventually became
part of the Homeland Security spending bill. Mack said the Shadow
Wolves will be trained in Customs policies and procedures and other
criminal investigation work and will be assigned to the agency's Tucson
office. A Border Patrol spokesman in Arizona could not immediately be
reached for comment. "I hope they will make good use of the Shadow
Wolves out here," said Marvin Eleando, a former Shadow Wolf who retired
in 2004 partly out of frustration. "I hope (Immigration and Customs)
will give them a chance to show what they are capable of."