The Navajo County Sheriff office and the Navajo Nation Police have joined forces with a cross commission bill.

Navajo County Sheriff Sheriff Kelly Clark said, “I’ve never had a complaint about treatment of people, I would not tolerate that,” she said in a joint statement with Navajo lawmakers.

On Tuesday Feb. 20, the announcement was made, Navajo lawmakers and the President praised the effort. Council Delegate Elmer Begay from Dilkon, who sponsored the bill said, “This agreement is in the best interest of Navajo people living in the southwest portion of the reservation,” he said in a press release.

Council Delegate Dwight Whitherspoon said, “In my region we get three officers per shift which cover seven communities,” he co-sponsor the bill with Begay.

Immediately after the bill was passed, Navajo President Ben Shelly signed it into law.

“With this agreement, we are going to provide safer communities for our people who live in Navajo County. I want to thank everyone who worked on this document to make our communities safer for our children,” said President Shelly.

The Navajo Nation has been criticized for poor law enforcement, but this latest effort is a sign they are improving their community policing efforts throughout the reservation.