Shadow Wolves: Should it be Native American Only Unit?

            In my paper on drug smuggling I touched briefly on the Shadow Wolves and the impact they’ve had curtailing drug smuggling on the reservation. In both Digges's and my presentations we touched on the fact that the number of Shadow Wolves has been decreasing over the past 15 years. This is alarming considering how good they are at their job. Additionally, I read a quote from a former shadow wolf who estimated that if there were 100 shadow wolves operating on the reservation drug smuggling would not be an issue. This solution may be impractical though given that in order to be a member of the unit you must be a Native American with special tracking skills. This begs the question; Would it be acceptable to tribes for current Shadow Wolves to train non-Indians in their “cut and sign” method in order to boost their membership?

            The act of congress that created the Shadow Wolves specified that unit members must have tribal affiliation. This makes their pool of qualified applicants very small. If this act was amended to allow non-Shadow Wolves to enter the unit it could potential increase the unit’s size and effectiveness. However, at the same time tribes and current Shadow Wolves might find it unacceptable to train non-Indians in their unique tracking techniques. Additionally many American Indians take pride in the fact that the Shadow Wolves is an all Native American unit. I probably need to find more data and information on this topic but I know for sure that more Shadow Wolves on the reservation means more captured drugs and more arrested smuggling.