Tribes forced to cut law enforcement services

Monday, July 9, 2007  

Without adequate funding, tribes in South Dakota have been forced to reduce their law enforcement services in the past few years.

Since the 1990s, the Oglala Sioux Tribe has lost 75 percent of its police force. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe went from 36 to 22 over seven years. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe only has 19 officers but needs 60 more.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides funds to maintain 191 tribal and BIA law enforcement programs. The fiscal year 2008 budget seeks to hire 51 more officers but critics say the money fails to meet the needs of Indian Country.

Get the Story:
Budget cuts leave tribes with inadequate police (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 7/9)

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