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MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2001

There are 400,000 acres of Indian owned land in Oklahoma, raising numerous jurisdictional problems for tribal, state and federal officials.

Disputes over which properties are in fact Indian Country are common. Some may be owned by tribes or individual Indians and are often in a "checkerboard" pattern.

Of particular concern is law enforcement. Depending on the crime and who is alleged to have committed it, tribal, state and federal jurisdiction may apply.

In order to help resolve the issues, some tribes and local law enforcement have entered into cross-deputization agreements, which came into practice 10 years ago. Critics, however, say the approal process moves too slow.

The General Allotment Act of 1887 and other laws resulted in the breakup of what were Oklahoma's reservations. The laws created the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust, which is the subject of a billion dollar class action lawsuit.

Get the Story:
Indian land creates jurisdictional maze (The Daily Oklahoman 12/17)
Politics hinder cross-deputization (The Daily Oklahoman 12/17)
Cross-deputization lacks wide following -- Slow approval process, lawsuit cited (The Daily Oklahoman 12/17)