Shirley honored with NNALEA award

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., was honored recently with a lifetime achievement award from the country's largest Native American law enforcement association.

At its 18th annual conference, the National Native American Law Enforcement Association presented its first "Chief of Chiefs Lifetime Achievement Award" to President Shirley, one of eight awards it bestowed on Sept. 16.

The award recognizes President Shirley's accomplishments to seek empowerment, prosperity and justice for native people, the United States and the world through his work with the United Nations.

"He's just had a tremendous impact throughout the world and we wanted to recognize him for that," said Kim Baglio NNALEA Board President.

"Thank you to each and every law enforcement officer out there working the front lines in Native America," President Shirley said. "I know that you do it with limited resources, but you're out there protecting our communities, protecting our lives ... I want you to know we really appreciate you."

NNALEA was founded in 1993 in Washington, D.C., as a non-profit organization to promote and foster mutual cooperation between Native American law enforcement officers, agents and personnel, along with their agencies, tribes, private industry and the public.

Its members and board of directors represent the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. State Department, Bureau of Acohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Indians Affairs and tribal law enforcement agencies from across the country.

In November 2005, President Shirley was designated to represent the 370 million Indigenous people of the world at the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society before the 191 member countries of the United Nations in Tunis, Tunisia.

The Navajo Nation had been asked to join the International Indigenous Steering Committee in March 2005 in Ottawa, Canada, and President Shirley was asked to be its spokesman.

Also attending the world summit were Navajo Nation Council Delegates Ervin Keeswood, chairman of the Government Services Committee and George Arthur, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.

In February 2005, President Shirley called upon tribal leaders to speak with one voice in support of tribal sovereignty.

"To the extent possible, we must come together to push to protect our sovereignty," the President told the Sovereignty Protection Initiative, a program of the National Congress of American Indians.

The initiative was established by tribes to address the shrinkage of tribal jurisdiction by the U.S. Supreme Court, in particular the effect of the cases of Nevada v. Hicks and Atkinson Trading Co. v. Shirley.