This new, proactive approach has, in many cases, depended on community outreach programs designed and staffed by law enforcement officials ready to establish solid, tangible relationships with people in the communities they police. Imposing Duties, by Malcolm Sparrow, was a ground-breaking investigation of ways police departments could support compliance by transforming their roles in the neighborhoods they patrolled. Since the book's publication in 1994, law enforcement organizations at local, state, and federal levels have taken their lead from Sparrow's claim that identifying potential problems before they materialize is the key to efficient policing.

Bringing outreach to the Tohono O'odham Nation
It should be no surprise to find this kind of approach and support for community outreach taking hold within the U.S. Border Patrol office in Tucson, Ariz., where Chief David Aguilar and his team have created a special initiative that allows agents to reach out in specific ways to "their" community-the Tohono O'odham Nation in Sells, Ariz. The fact that Chief Aguilar's agents are applying principals at work across America to this particular population is noteworthy for a number of reasons: non-compliance on the Nation takes a number of forms, many of them serious enough to threaten national security. Native Americans who live on the reservation are free to cross the border into Mexico and return at will, an opportunity that might easily be abused. Border Patrol agents believe that educating members of the Nation about potential dangers is critical to preventing trouble before it materializes.

Drug and weapons smuggling, trafficking in illegal migrants, money laundering, and various other criminal activities are a real problem on reservations in the U.S. Because the Tohono O'odham Nation extends across the U.S. border into Mexico, it and its people are even more vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Factor in high unemployment rates, substance abuse, limited educational opportunities and a significant drop-out rate, and you have a perfect testing ground for the kind of community outreach program in which the U.S. Border Patrol is currently engaged.

Making outreach work
The first step in making the outreach program work was familiarizing the communities on the reservation and surrounding the Nation with the work that the U.S. Border Patrol does on a daily basis. Aguilar and his agents meet regularly with the leaders of the various communities in and around the reservation; they explain basic law enforcement procedures, the "what, why, and how" that underlie their daily operations. Demystifying law enforcement is a big step toward building trust. A "watch tower," for example, located on the edge of the reservation had triggered speculation among the locals. When Border Patrol officials explained that its purpose was to facilitate remote surveillance and to protect members of the tribe from the smugglers and "coyotes," tribal leaders and citizens in surrounding communities suddenly felt "invested" in the effort, and suspicion turned to support. Physical barriers erected on the border that had once been perceived as a means of keeping tribal members confined to a specific area were now viewed as protective devices designed to safeguard law-abiding communities.

Seniors who have fears about criminal activities in their communities are told how to report suspicious activity, what to do until authorities arrive, and how to prevent drug smugglers and other criminals from walking across their front lawns and down main streets. Border Patrol agents share information about personal safety tactics, self-defense, and distribute a telephone number for citizens to call to summon an officer immediately to a certain location. The Border Patrol has a policy in place that guarantees a call-back when members of the community follow a prearranged protocol.

In many cases, after U.S. Border Patrol agents "brief" community leaders and town councils on procedures, they also allow the audience to physically examine their tactical equipment, raid jackets, ballistic helmets and other gear. For young people, in particular, this can be an exciting introduction to law enforcement, and Border Patrol agents who've been involved in these programs report that a number of young Native Americans jump at the chance to talk to "real" agents about possible careers in law enforcement. Without this one-on-one involvement, those conversations might never happen.

Information campaign a priority
Border Patrol Agent Dion Ethell is the Community Relations Officer at the Ayo station nears Sells, Ariz. A graduate of Portland State University, Ethell has 17 years of experience in scouting and as a volunteer. Today, he is the "face" of the Border Patrol's energetic outreach program as well as one of its foot soldiers. "One of the best things we've done," says Ethell, "is to take a trailer that we modified and turn it into a Mobile Storefront. The communities on and around the Sells reservation are separated by great distances-Lukeville, Gila Bend, Ayo-and this Mobile Storefront allows us to move our information, our equipment, our displays and presentations, from community to community. We go to them. It sends an important message, and its working."

The vastness of the reservation-the Nation is the size of Connecticut-makes for cultural differences and divides even among native populations. There are also cultural disconnects between reservation communities and towns like Ayo that border the Nation but aren't a part of it. In the late 1800s, Ayo was a mining community. When that industry disappeared, Ayo, a town dotted with old stucco plazas and historic churches, became a retirement mecca, home to a predominantly senior population. One of the most important ideas behind the Border Patrol's Mobile Storefront is to bring diverse populations together behind shared community and safety goals; seniors from Ayo and teenagers in Gila Bend discover a common interest in "partnering" with a law enforcement agency whose mission, since 9/11, has acquired national prominence.

Explorer Program offers options to reservation teenagers
One of the initiative's greatest achievements, says Ethell, is the Explorer Program that the Border Patrol supports on the reservation. U.S. Border Patrol Post 85 currently has 20 members, young Native Americans who are deeply invested in the work their mentors are doing and who, in many cases, hope to pursue careers in federal law enforcement themselves. "We had one young man in the program," says Ethell, "who had a rough family situation, and was thinking about dropping out of high school. The only thing that stopped him-and the dropout rate on the reservation is very high-was the knowledge that leaving school would have meant leaving the Explorer Post as well. Staying in school is a prerequisite for membership in Post 85."

Today, there are more candidates awaiting membership in Post 85 than there are spaces for them, but Ethell is confident that Border Patrol agents will make the time and opportunity to connect with all the kids who see the Explorer Program as a guidepost in their lives. "The truth is that we get as much from the program as the kids . . . I've seen this Explorer Program change the course of several lives, keeping young tribal members away from drugs, away from situations that could ruin their futures, away from what teenagers often see as the seductive side of crime. This is one of the best Explorer programs in the country."

"Bringing cultures together and educating them about the Border Patrol mission has always been important," says Chief Aguilar. "After 9/11, outreach is an indispensable part of our jobs. The Nation and the people who live in and around it have to want to work with us-and we need their talents and dedication-to leverage our resources and fight terrorism. This is a win-win situation. We know it. I think our partners in the Sells communities know it. And the rapport we're creating with the young people on the reservation is already changing America's future."