Press Release

U.S. Government Provides Training for Macedonian Border Police

June 22, 2008

Six officers from the United States Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will visit Struga June 23-27, 2008, to train Macedonian Border Police Officers in methods used to track persons suspected of smuggling contraband.  To complement the training the U.S. Department of Defense will donate $40,000 worth of technical equipment that the Border Police can use to further secure the Macedonian border.  This project follows earlier training in 2007 and is part of the U.S. Embassy support for Macedonia’s efforts to ensure that its borders are secure against the illegal movement of goods and people. 

The three Customs Border Protection officers are Native Americans (Indians) who work at the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation in Arizona.  This specialized unit is know as the “Shadow Wolves,” and the officers have developed a reputation for their skillful use of Native American human tracking techniques as a tool for law enforcement and border security.  

Currently, the 13 members of the Shadow Wolves come from the following Indian tribes:  Tohono O’odham; Navajo; Sioux; Kiowa; Lakota; Yurok; and Blackfeet.  In addition to their normal duties of tracking and arresting narcotics smugglers in the Arizona desert, they have trained border officers in several Asian and eastern European countries including, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova and Poland.

Additionally, during this week the U.S. Department of Defense will donate to the Macedonian Fire Brigade and Customs $41,400 worth of tools and safety equipment, including more than 150 firefighter protective suits.

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