FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. \u2013 Navajo Nation Human Rights commissioners say they\u2019ve received complaints about border towns that include police brutality and jail deaths.<\/p>\n
In Cuba, N.M., Navajos have said they were apprehended, beaten and left in hills outside town. In Flagstaff and Cortez, commissioners know of several unexplained jail deaths.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the stories we\u2019ve heard are abhorrent,\u201d commissioner Steve Darden said.<\/p>\n
The five-member commission is holding a series of hearings across the 27,425 square-mile Navajo Nation to assess border town justice. The commission says it investigates complaints within 20 days of receiving them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not here to lambaste officers, but we will investigate any complaint,\u201d said Darden, a former Flagstaff magistrate and city council member.<\/p>\n
Other formal complaints include incarceration without proper representation, racial profiling and excessive use of force. Darden said Albuquerque was the hot spot, and the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating mistreatment of the city\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n
In Gallup, N.M., officials report nearly a dozen alcohol-related exposure deaths attributed to the city\u2019s mandatory 72-hour hold policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the complaints, it\u2019s caused me to raise an eyebrow,\u201d said commissioner Frank Bradley.<\/p>\n
During his 24-year indigenous law enforcement career, Bradley said he had witnessed excessive use of force, which the former Shiprock, N.M.-based officer blamed on inadequate oversight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no supervision on the streets,\u201d he said. \u201cPolicy isn\u2019t being followed, and no one is watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradley, who said he has conducted more than 500 SWAT missions, argues that most civil rights violations could be avoided if officers were better trained in cultural awareness and interpersonal skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an officer, you have to be able to talk and be respectful,\u201d said the retired Navajo police sergeant. \u201cTreat others how you would want to be treated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradley, who has two siblings and a daughter in law enforcement, acknowledged that the work was dangerous, but added that many are quick to dismiss police indiscretions with \u201cknee jerk\u201d reactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a civilian now, I\u2019m appalled at the lack of accountability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n