Gangs Take Over Navajo Town
In the past few months gangs have taken control of a town in one of the most remote parts of the Navajo Nation. Community leaders have asked the Navajo Nation Council for help.
The tiny town of Piñon, Ariz., sits smack in the middle of the largest reservation in the country. It has no police substation. That means it takes up to an hour for an officer to respond to a call. About 200 officers patrol the sprawling Navajo Nation, an area that spans 27,000 square miles.
The Piñon Community School principal said the lack of officers and slow response times have allowed these Native American gangs to take over. She said shootings have caused a lot of damage, and she worries about someone getting killed. The schools are located between rival gang territories.
The Navajo Department of Corrections Director said the Piñon police substation is in the design stage but the tribe still lacks funding to build it.
