Chief David Lewis

This 1990 interview with Chief David Allen Lewis of the Tyendinaga Police Department provides important insights into Indigenous policing and community relations in Ontario. Lewis, born in 1944, discusses his family background on the Tyendinaga Reserve, experiences with educational discrimination in the 1950s when Native children were excluded from local schools, and his subsequent career path including extensive work in the United States before returning to become a police officer.

Lewis details the evolution of policing on the Reserve, from minimal RCMP presence to the establishment of the Ontario Indian Policing Programme with Native Special Constables. He describes the training process at Aylmer Police College, the relationship between Reserve police and the OPP, and the unique challenges of policing a small Native community. The interview covers jurisdictional issues, community attitudes toward police, and tensions between traditional governance and modern law enforcement.

The discussion also addresses broader Indigenous issues including land disputes (particularly the Shannonville land claim), the role of Warrior Societies, and debates over independent versus OPP-affiliated policing. Lewis provides perspective on the Oka Crisis occurring at the time, illustrating the complex position of Native police officers during periods of Indigenous activism and their efforts to maintain neutrality while serving their communities.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.