Cash back?
Casino axes plans for county protection, will keep their $100,000

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — Will McKinley County get a $100,000 Christmas gift from the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise?

Probably not.

County Manager Tom Trujillo said he plans to go to the Fire Rock Casino Friday to talk to officials for the enterprise about discussions that went on earlier this year regarding use of deputies from the McKinley County Sheriff’s Department to help provide security at the casino.

This topic has been talked about at recent county commission meetings with Trujillo trying to get the commission to approve an agreement that would have the sheriff’s department provide backup to Navajo Nation police in case of problems at the casino. He told the commission that in exchange, the enterprise was willing to provide funds to hire an extra deputy and pay for a new police cruiser which would mean an extra $100,000 for the department.

Commissioner Ernest Becenti Jr., however, got the commission to seek funding for two deputies and two police cruisers, despite concerns from both Trujillo and Sheriff Frank Gonzales that they should go ahead with the lesser amount since the sheriff’s department and the Navajo Nation police already have an agreement in place to provide backup to each other.

In other words, the casino would get the service at no cost so county officials were wondering why enterprise officials were offering to pay for it.

It turns out that tribal gaming officials have no plans to pay for something they can get for free.

Bob Winter, the tribe’s gaming czar, said Thursday there is no agreement under consideration by the gaming enterprise that would provide funds for the sheriff’s department to provide backup to the Navajo Nation Police Department at the casino.

There were discussions before the casino opened in November for the sheriff’s department to provide primary law enforcement services at the casino, but since then the Navajo Nation Police Department has agreed to do it. In exchange, the enterprise has put up a mobile trailer in the casino parking lot to act as a substation and has agreed to provide funds to hire two Navajo police officers and pay for a police cruiser.

Winter said the enterprise is still discussing an agreement with the county to have the sheriff’s department “provide necessary security off the casino premises” but so far no money amount has been affixed for these services.
Services off the premises would include, he said, traffic control and detention requirements.

No timeline has been set on when an agreement would be ready for review by the county commission.