The Cherokee Nation is building a new 61,500-square-foot public safety building in Tahlequah near the current EMS and Marshal Service facilities.

For the first time in Cherokee Nation history, the tribe is looking ahead with a new plan for its policing and public safety with a Five-Year Strategic Plan for the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said it's necessary to have trained professionals in rural areas. "In rural communities, people know this: ambulance services are getting scarcer ...