Lamar Associates Announces Free Anti-Meth Training. Online-Onsite Training for Indian Country

Tribal communities can combat the manufacture, use, and distribution of methamphetamine through a new training program from Lamar Associates.

Lamar Associates http://www.lamarassociates.net/ is a 100 percent American Indian-owned small business with an intimate understanding of the challenges facing Indian Country. The company has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide onsite and online training.

Lamar Associates of Washington, DC, received the grant from DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) as part of the Methamphetamine Training and Technical Assistance program.

Beginning in February 2008, Lamar Associates will offer free training opportunities in each of the six geographical regions used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services in addition to an in-depth online training program. The training will reflect cultural understanding and sensitivity and equip course participants with the critical organizational skills they need to respond to meth use in their communities.

"We are honored to have this opportunity to help law enforcement and tribal communities come together to address the methamphetamine crisis in Indian Country," said Walter Lamar, president and CEO of Lamar Associates. "Because Lamar Associates management personnel are American Indian and we have spent the greater part of our lives and careers living and working in Indian Country, we are inextricably linked to the tribal citizens this training is designed to serve. I believe our Anti-Meth training can help restore harmony to many communities struggling to address meth use."

Each two-day onsite training course will be two-pronged. It is designed to educate participants about meth and also provides hands-on experiences to help them develop plans specific to their communities. Instructors will present state-of-the-art community policing and problem-solving strategies. Training topics include a historical and cultural perspective of tribal issues; the meth crisis in Indian Country; signs and symptoms of meth use; criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country; meth production; developing community coalitions, and strategic planning.

Lamar Associates will also offer a dynamic new Web-based training program designed specifically for Native American audiences. The online training topics include meth signs and symptoms, criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country, and steps to creating community coalitions.

This Web-based training is one of the most robust, energetic sites available and will offer users a wealth of information and strategies to help them effectively fight meth in Indian Country. Besides offering quality education, this online course makes it possible for individuals who live in geographically diverse areas to participate in vital training without travel costs or time away from their jurisdictions.

"Lamar Associates’ Anti -Meth training initiative offers Native American communities skill building strategies specific to Indian Country," said Steven Juneau, Vice President of Lamar Associates. "We have designed this training to make a lasting difference in Indian Country."

Mr. Juneau is an enrolled member of the Haida Tlingit Tribe of Alaska and a descendant of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana.

Mr. Lamar is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, descendant of the Wichita Tribe of Oklahoma, and has resided on the Blackfeet, Wind River, Jicarilla, Apache, and Navajo Reservations, and Oklahoma Indian Country.

Further information about this program will be available on Lamar Associates Web site: http://www.indiancountryanti-meth.webexone.com.

February 18-19, 2008 – Albuquerque, NM

April 7-8, 2008 – Phoenix, AZ

June 9-10, 2008 – Reno, NV

July 21-22, 2008 – Spokane, WA

August 18-19, 2008 – San Diego, CA

October 27-28, 2008 – Minneapolis, MN

January 12-13, 2009 – Oklahoma City, OK

February 9-10, 2009 – Hollywood, FL