Since February, the historically insular Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix has publicly acknowledged its ongoing struggle with guns and gang violence — much of it involving juveniles.
The tribe, KJZZ has learned, quietly fired its police chief earlier this month, days after a town hall meeting to address public safety issues.
Members of the tribe verified the recent ousting, but its leaders have refused to answer KJZZ’s questions about Jesse Crabtree’s removal from the Gila River Police Department via a spokesperson.
Crabtree was the primary tribal law enforcement authority who fielded most of the questions during a six-hour town hall on July 12 — inside the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass.
“We can’t police our way out of everything. We need partners from the community, from other departments,” said Crabtree, adding that “community policing is where we're headed as GRPD, in addition to addressing day-to-day crimes.”
His firing came just two days later, according to community members.
Crabtree was named Gila River police chief in 2023, having been hired as a commander three years prior. In 2024, the National Native American Law Enforcement Association honored him with its annual chief of police award.
His public safety career began in 1996 with Hopi Law Enforcement Services, according to a Gila River police statement announcing his promotion to chief. He then spent more than two decades serving the Fort McDowell Yavapai Apache Nation.
At that time, the GRIC police release stated Crabtree’s tenure in Indian Country “has come to place incredible value on public safety and community partnerships that will increase the quality of life for the Gila River Indian Community.”
Now, any mention of Crabtree has been scrubbed from the Gila River Police Department’s staffing administration web page — though his departure has not been confirmed to KJZZ by the Valley-based tribe.
But within a week, sources say tribal leadership had already turned to a familiar name, former GRIC Police Chief Tim Chavez. While he initially considered coming out of retirement to fill the vacancy, he later declined due to departmental infighting.
It’s still unknown who — if anyone — has replaced Crabtree as police chief, since the Gila River Indian Community has refused to answer any questions.
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