Law enforcement scales back as cleanup finishes at protest camps

Law enforcement is scaling back its presence as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finishes cleaning the pipeline protest camps.

Fewer than 70 officers, mostly from Morton County and North Dakota Highway Patrol, now report to the main law enforcement base at Fort Rice on a daily basis, according to Morton County spokesman Rob Keller. That's down from 100 to 200 this fall.

The National Guard has about 75 people deployed here, compared to 500 at the height in November, according to spokeswoman Maj. Amber Balken. Guardsmen assisted law enforcement with traffic, morale checks and clearing the main camp.

Similarly, the state Department of Health now only dispatches two to three people daily to serve food at the base, according to Tim Wiedrich, emergency preparedness section chief. In the fall, there were usually 32 people on a shift providing medical and food services.

Read more: http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/law-enforcement-scales-back-as-cleanup-finishes-at-protest-camps/article_589205a6-abb8-5de1-99ff-446472fe3090.html