Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community member Johanna Tate was one of only 28 Native youths from across the United States, out of 100-plus applicants, selected for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS) Youth Indian Police Academy (YIPA) program this summer.

Tate submitted a five-paragraph essay to qualify for the academy, which took place in Anadarko, Oklahoma, for two weeks at the Riverside Indian Boarding School. She began on June 15 and graduated on June 27.

Her end goal? To be a Salt River police officer after taking Arizona State University’s criminal justice program.

Tate is entering her junior year of high school and once she graduates, she has a few other options to consider, such as becoming a correctional officer at the age of 18 or joining the military as a military police officer.

“What inspired me to get into law enforcement was from the stories my dad would tell me while he was working as a tribal police officer and as an officer at the juvenile detention center for Native youth,” Tate reflected.

“It made an impact on me to want to do what he did by helping my Native people, especially [during] the [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples] crisis.”

She continued, “This is a topic that is very important to me, [and] it holds a huge place in my heart and mind because I want to do everything in my ability to prevent this and to bring our people together and make our Indigenous people reunite with their loved ones.”

Tate comes from a family of mixed martial artists (MMA), which includes her dad, Joe “Tomahawk” Tate, and her older sister, Rianna Tate, who competes regularly. Johanna is skilled in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and understands that it will help her in her law enforcement career.

“My interest in the law enforcement career is to help guide the Native youth by teaching them self-defense and safety measures and going after the dangerous people and to work to put them away so they don’t harm our people,” she said.

The training she experienced at the YIPA included nightly team-building events and hands-on scenarios, such as tactical training exercises, accident investigations, crime scene labs, driving under the influence simulations, special weapons and tactics demonstrations, emergency medical services certifications, K-9 demonstrations and field trips for complete immersion learning.

“These issues made me strive to help others more and to be someone that they can call when they need support in their lives. I want to keep our Native youth and Native communities safe,” Tate said.

“I want the Community to know that I care for them and that whatever happens, to always stay positive and don’t be afraid to reach out to the police officers because they’re there to help you and to keep you safe.”

Tate said that she and her family have been through some difficult times, but she aspires to excel in her career and be a first generation high school graduate.

“My main motivation comes from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without him this wouldn’t have been possible,” Tate said.

“He gave me strength and motivation to keep on going and my love for my career. I know he will keep me safe throughout my life and when I’m a police officer.”