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Our Story
Policing has always been an important component to the way of life for the Blood Reserve and its people.
Traditionally the Tribe had a fully developed legal system and its own enforcement agency
in the form of a society called Iikunuhkahtsi to apply the laws. However, as the European
systems began to overlay the ways of the tribe, policing and other areas of social services
adapted and have continued to become an integral part of the Blood Tribe community.
To suit the particular context and needs of its people, the Blood Tribe adopted the Tribal Scout
system which later evolved into the Blood Tribe Police Service.
Our Service
The Blood Indian Reserve (BIR# 148 & 148A) is the largest First Nations reservation in
Canada. Covering well over 180 000 hectares of land in Southern Alberta, it is the
proud home to over 10 000 registered members.
Basing its operations out of offices in Standoff, Alberta, the Blood Tribe Police
Service is a fully autonomous police agency with jurisdiction that extends from the outskirts
of the city of Lethbridge to the bordering towns of Cardston, Hill Spring, Glenwood, Fort
Macleod and Waterton Lakes National Park.
Twenty-four hours, seven days a week coverage is provided by thirty three fully appointed
police officers with the support of over a dozen civillian staff members. RCMP standards
training, a fleet of eighteen police vehicles, state of the art blood alcohol testing equipment,
and full access to services such as the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), and the Police Reporting
and Occurence System (PROS) are just some of the resources utilized by the Blood Tribe Police
Service.
The Blood Tribe Police Service in its present form is a continuation of the Blood Reserve in
partnership with the Federal and Provincial Governments' efforts in providing quality policing
services to the community.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to maintain peace and good order, protect lives and property, prevent and detect
crimes, and respond to community needs on the Blood Reserve in a manner that preserves the
customs and traditions of the Blood Tribe people.
Our Commitment
The Blood Tribe Police Service has a duty and commitment to provide for the maintenance
of peace, order and security to the people of the Blood Reserve and the general public.
The Blood Tribe Police Service will ensure and be cognizant through the observance of law and
order, that the particular and special needs of the Blood Tribe, its customs and traditions,
will be honoured.
Our Crest
The Blood Tribe Police Service crest is truly unique as it represents the heritage of our
organization and it's role within the community of the Blood Indian Reserve.
The sun, river and grass are symbolic of Treaty 7. The Treaty states that: "…as long
as the sun shall shine, as long as the rivers flow and as long as the grass shall grow…" the
rights and liberties of the Blood Tribe will be honoured.
The peace pipe is also representative of the treaty as well as a symbol of the Blood Tribe
Police Service's role as Peace Keepers in the traditional native culture.
The mountain in the distance represents Chief Mountain, an actual landmark so named because
it appears as though a Chief in full traditional headdress is resting under the sun.
The "T" shaped symbols are the marks that used to be written in the sand or dirt to represent
the presence of the Tribal Scouts, the original Peace Keepers within the Tribe. The marks were
pointed upwards to represent the path that the Scouts bravely took would lead the Tribe well into
the future.
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