Tribal law enforcement funding falls as crime rate remains high

Tuesday, November 13, 2012  

Crime in Indian Country shows no signs of declining even as funding for tribal law enforcement has been cut in the past few years.

According to Department of Justice reports, violent crimes such as murder, rape and robbery have increased dramatically between 2000 and 2010. But some funding sources, including the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation program heralded by the Obama administration, have been reduced, The New York Times reported.

“There is a lack of justice in Indian country," Ivan Posey, a council member for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of Wyoming, told the Times.

An October report from DOJ highlighted some recent statistics. Between 2008 and 2010, tribal law enforcement agencies reported about 72,000 violent and property crimes to the FBI.

Get the Story:
Washington Steps Back From Policing Indian Lands, Even as Crime Rises (The New York Times 11/13)