Remembering Edward Reina, a Lifetime of Leadership in Tribal Public Safety

The Justice Department Office of Tribal Justice joins the federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement family in mourning the passing last week of Edward Reina, a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, (Akimel O’odham) and a retired chief law enforcement executive.  During Ed’s many years of public service, he served as a Tribal law enforcement leader in many roles, including as Chief of Police in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, and Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, and as Director of Public Safety for the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Ed was also the first Tribal Police Chief to serve as President of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.  And he was a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Indian Country Law Enforcement Section.

Ed is perhaps best known as the respondent in the 1990 US Supreme Court case of Duro v. Reina in which he defended Tribal law enforcement authority on his home reservation and across Indian country nationally.

Ed passed away on September 14th in Florida and is survived by his wife Enid.

This week at the Justice Department in Washington, we honored Ed and his family with a moment of silence at a meeting of the Indian Country Federal Law Enforcement Coordination Group.  We are humbled by his legacy and sorely miss his great partnership and contributions to public safety in Indian Country.  We extend heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.