The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the state of Nebraska signed a deputization agreement on Tuesday to allow tribal officers to enforce state law in the border town of Whiteclay.

Tribal president Cecelia Fire Thunder said the agreement will help address crime in the Whiteclay area. The tribe has long complained that alcohol-related offenses in the town, located a few miles from the Pine Ridge Reservation, go unnoticed and unpunished.

The tribe is still awaiting federal funding to help fund the Whiteclay patrols. Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-South Dakota) and Rep. Tom Osborne (R-Nebraska) are working to secure appropriations.

Get the Story:
Tribal officers to patrol Whiteclay (AP 8/31)
Pine Ridge tribal officers soon to patrol village (The Lincoln Journal Star 8/31)

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