A 23-year FBI veteran has joined the ranks of the Cayuga Nation Police Department. Michael DuBois, a former unit chief within the Criminal Investigative Division who supervised five specialized workgroups in the nation’s capital, has been named as the Nation’s new deputy superintendent of police.
He will serve underneath Superintendent of Police Mark Lincoln, who believes DuBois “will provide new and important perspectives for our department to help protect and serve our growing community,” according to a press release.
The Nation says DuBois will utilize nearly three decades of law enforcement experience to “address day-to-day administration, refinement of policy and procedures, tracking progress toward intermediate and long-term goals, and meeting the professional development needs of officers and staff.”
Clint Halftown, federal representative of the Cayuga Nation, says he’s pleased to welcome DuBois in the hopes of increasing “the safety and wellbeing of those residing on our reservation.”
But the Cayuga Nation Police Department has gained a bad reputation in the surrounding counties where their 64,015-acre ancestral reservation resides, especially after February 22, 2020, and the events that followed.
Less than two months ago, the Seneca County Board of Supervisors drafted another letter which was sent to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other federal officials, citing the county’s concerns over the “deployment of an apparently illegitimate tribal police force” which has caused “unrest, civil strife and issues of public safety.”
More recently, however, FingerLakes1.com learned how the Cayuga Nation Police Department does not possess cross deputation agreements with any local law enforcement in Seneca or Cayuga counties, according to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Prior to working in Washington, DuBois became a prominent law enforcement professional in Central New York, particularly in the eyes of Lincoln, calling him “a person of integrity and a proven leader” within the region. DuBois formerly served in upstate New York for seven years as the FBI’s supervisory senior resident agent for the regions of Syracuse, Binghamton, Ithaca and Utica.
Gabe covered health and indigenous affairs in the Finger Lakes between 2019 and 2022. His award winning coverage was cited by the federal government and provided residents with an invaluable service during the coronavirus pandemic.