Navajo Police: Class 57

The only tribal law enforcement agency with its own police academy, the Navajo Police Department serves a population of 190,000 people with just 180 officers. Facing mounting pressure to increase their numbers, the NPD welcomes a new class of 28 recruits for their rigorous 28-week training program.

As recruits begin to drop out of the program, officers discuss the lack of employment opportunities and ongoing challenges facing young adults in the Navajo Nation. Later, the remaining recruits delve into a range of social issues they will encounter while on the job, including domestic violence, drugs, and alcoholism.

As the training program nears its end, the recruits recount the reasons why they decided to join the police force. While they prepare to head out into the field, the rookie officers reflect on how their chosen career has impacted their lives and families and wrestle with conflicts between the personal and professional.