Mashantuckets name tribal member to head police force

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May 18—MASHANTUCKET — Joseph Brooks III, a Mashantucket Pequot tribal member, has been named the tribe's police chief, the tribe announced.

Brooks, who began his career with the Mashantucket police department in 1997 and then worked for 20 years in federal law enforcement, replaces George Potts, who had served as interim police chief since the retirement a year ago of William Dittman. Dittman had been named chief of the tribal department in 2012 following a 35-year career with the New London Police Department.

Potts, who also previously had been with the New London department and had been the tribal department's deputy chief before being named interim chief in May 2020, left the tribal department a couple of weeks ago "to pursue other opportunities," a tribal spokeswoman said.

"Chief Brooks' prestigious career has come full circle, and he has returned to the very same police department where he first started," Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket tribal chairman, said in a statement. "We welcome Joe's return to Mashantucket with open arms, and we look forward to working with him to safeguard our tribal community and business enterprises."

Brooks said in a statement that he was grateful for the opportunity to return to New England and "begin a new chapter as chief of police at Mashantucket."

"I thank Interim Chief Potts for all he's done to lead our department, and I look forward to working with the tribe to ensure public safety at Mashantucket for all tribal members, employees and guests," Brooks said.

In 2001, Brooks was recruited by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Justice Services, and became the first member of a northeastern tribe at the BIA-OJS to be appointed as a police officer and sergeant at the U.S. Indian Police Academy. In 2003, he briefly returned to the Mashantucket department in the position of detective sergeant.

Between 2007 and 2020, Brooks held several positions with the BIA-OJS, including supervisory special agent and chief of police at the Spokane Agency in Washington state, the Wind River Agency in Fort Washakie, Wyo., the Fort Duchesne Agency in Utah, and the Ute Mountain Agency in Colorado and Utah.

He also was internal affairs special agent in Albuquerque, N.M., assistant special agent in charge in Nashville, Tenn., and special agent in charge of the District III office in Phoenix, Ariz., which covers more than 30 tribes in Arizona, Utah and Nevada.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com