Column | Page Police Department

A day to celebrate and show appreciation

By Tim Lange

Editor’s note: Tim Lange is the chief of police at the Page Police Department in Page, Arizona. Lange is a former Navajo Nation Police officer who served in the Tuba City Police District. He also served as a security guard for the Navajo Generating Station in 1989.

Today we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day to honor Indigenous American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures, safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across generations.

We also must understand it’s a day of protest for many.

Chief Tim Lange is shown with Page PD employees dispatcher Joni Kee, lead dispatcher Taylor Yazzie, communications supervisor Jackie Lyons, dispatcher Elvena Begay and Page Police Detective Ann Lange.

I am honored for the relationship Page PD has with the Navajo Nation, and especially for the many personal relationships I have with members of various tribes, but especially the Navajo Nation. I would not be where I am today without the Navajo Police Department and the many people who supported and taught me throughout my law enforcement career.

I am forever indebted. Thank you.