CLAREMORE, Okla. (AP) - The Claremore Police Department and the Cherokee Nation Marshal’s Office recently entered into a cross-deputation agreement, allowing officers from both agencies to serve in each other’s jurisdictions in case of an emergency or any situation.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for about 15 years, when I became deputy marshal,” said Cherokee Nation Marshal Shannon Buhl. “Claremore is one of the largest cities in our jurisdiction we were never cross-deputized with. What that meant was they couldn’t help us if we needed something and we couldn’t help them out if they needed assistance in Native American jurisdictions that are within city limits, such as K2 product being sold at tribal smoke shops.”

Buhl said this agreement has been a long time coming.

Cross-deputation agreements first went into effect in July 1992 when the U.S. Congress provided authority for the U.S. Secretary of Interior to enter into agreements between the U.S. and Native American tribes and nations, states and their political subdivisions in accordance with the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act of August 1990.

“Cross-deputation can be misunderstood a lot of the time. There’s a lot to it,” said Buhl. “It’s not a mutual aid agreement. There are mutual aid agreements, such as that between the sheriff’s office and Claremore PD or Verdigris; however, Native American tribes cannot create a mutual aid agreement with non-Native American affiliations.

“What that means is you have to go through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the city, agency and the State Attorney General’s Office, which can be a long process.”

Buhl said one of the reasons the cross-deputation agreement took place is because of efforts from the Claremore Police Department.

“Police Chief Stan Brown has been very proactive in the city. He’s a huge supporter of cooperative agreements with us, the sheriff’s office and other agencies, and I think he’s in some ways taken the lead on this to make this happen for us,” said Buhl. “It’s a good day for the people of Claremore and for the people of the Cherokee Nation.”

Brown said the agreement acts as a “force multiplier.”

“The CPD now has the opportunity to utilize nationally-recognized special operations teams through the marshal’s office for everything from high-priority arrests, to hostage rescue and search and rescue operations,” Brown said. “Anytime you have agencies that can cooperate, it makes the community safer and it raises the level of service that both agencies can bring to the population.”

The Cherokee Nation Marshal’s Office covers 9,000 square miles and holds a total of 52 deputations with agencies across the 14 historical counties