TheNavajo Nation Police (formerly known as theNavajo Tribal Police) is the law enforcement agency on theNavajo Nation in theSouthwestern United States. It is under the Navajo Division of Public Safety. It is headed by a Chief of Police, sixPolice Captains and eight Police Lieutenants. It includes:Internal Affairs,Patrol,K-9 Unit,Police diving, Tactical Operations Team, Traffic Unit,Fiscal management,Recruitment, andTraining Divisions. The Navajo Nation Police are responsible for seven districts:Chinle,Crownpoint,Dilkon,Kayenta,Shiprock,Tuba City, andWindow Rock. There are also several substations in each district ranging from one-man substations or up to five officers each. Currently, there are 210 sworn police officers (134 patrol), 28 criminal investigators, and 279civilians acting as support staff for the department. There are approximately 1.9 police officers per 1,000 people^{[citation needed]} and one officer is responsible for patrolling 70 square miles (180 km²) of reservation land. The Navajo Nation Police are funded byfederal contracts and grants and general Navajo Nation funds. This police department is one of only two largeNative American police Departments with more than 100 sworn officers in theUnited States (the other is theOglala Lakota Nation's police department).^[1]

Navajo Nation Police
Agency overview
Formed	1872
Employees	549
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	USA
Map of Navajo Nation Police's jurisdiction
Size	27,000 square miles (70,000 km2)
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Window Rock, Arizona
Police Officers	210
Civilians	279
Agency executive	Ronald Silversmith,Chief of Police
Website
https://npd.navajo-nsn.gov/

The Navajo Treaty of 1868, which released Navajos from captivity atFort Sumner, established law enforcement as the responsibility of the federal government. The first Navajo police force was created in 1872 and dissolved three years later. Although there were police on the reservation, they were funded and supported by theUnited States government. The Navajo Nation operated under the direction of the BIA from the late 19th century until 1959, when it established its own tribal police force. While the force was and remains largely funded by the federal government, the force has operated on its own since 1959. The Navajo Nation police is responsible for law enforcement and for the care and custody of prisoners.

All officers are issued a serviceGlock 22 40 caliber sidearm, expandable baton, handcuffs, bullet-resistant vest, pepper spray and portable radio linked to a central dispatch. Rural substation officers are issued take-home vehicles, a shotgun, metal spike strips and speed radar guns. There are 200 vehicles in the Police department's fleet ranging from sport utility vehicles (SUV) such as: Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Blazer,Chevrolet Suburban andJeep Liberty to Sedans:Chevrolet Impala. There areKawasaki Kz1000s for motor units, 4-Wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATV) for special events/crowd control, and street bicycle units. All patrol vehicles are currently outfitted with laptop computer technology working with local Wi-Fi internet connection to assist officers to write and file reports electronically. The department recently obtained a mobile command post vehicle which is assigned to the Shiprock district located inShiprock, New Mexico.

In 2018 chief of police Phillip Francisco restarted the Navajo Nation police academy, using the former Chinle jail as a training headquarters. Twelve new recruits graduated in June 2018, the first in-house graduates in ten years.^[2]

As of February 2025^[update], since the establishment of the Navajo Nation police department, seventeen officers have died in the line of duty.^[3]

Officers of the Navajo Nation police are the subjects of a series ofmystery novels byTony Hillerman. The novels deal primarily with fictional officers namedJoe Leaphorn,Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito. After Tony Hillerman's death in 2008, daughter Anne Hillerman has continued the mystery series.

The Hillerman novels and characters were used in a 2002PBS television seriesSkinwalkers: The Navajo Mysteries and later in theAMC seriesDark Winds in 2022.

Navajo police are also the subjects of the Ella Clah police proceduralromance novels by the husband and wife authorial team of Aimee and David Thurlo.

• Navajo Police Website