Press Release

U.S. “Shadow Wolves” Train Macedonian Border Police

May 7, 2007

 

Specialized unit know as the “Shadow Wolves,” from Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation in Arizona. (large photo)

 

Three officers from the United States Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will visit Gevgelija May 7-11, 2007, to train Macedonian Border Police Officers in methods used to track persons suspected of smuggling and other illegal activities in border areas.  The training is part of 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 female 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 European and Asian countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova and Poland.