The Navajo Nation received a $299,408 grant for public safety and community policing. Photo from Syellowhorse / Wikipedia
Over 100 tribes are sharing in more than $97.3 million in grants to improve public safety in Indian Country. The Department of Justice announced a total of 206 grants that will help tribes boost law enforcement, improve tribal courts, combat violence against women, address substance abuse, assist youth and provide services to victims of crime. They were issued under a new Obama administration initiative called the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, which streamlines the funding process. "For the past five years, the CTAS program has helped tribes develop their own comprehensive approaches to making their communities safer and healthier," Stuart F. Delery, the acting associate attorney general at DOJ, said in remarks at the Tribal Impact Days in Washington, D.C. "CTAS grants have funded hundreds of programs to better serve crime victims, promote community policing, prevent crime and strengthen justice systems. This year’s awards also support efforts to reduce domestic and dating violence and to promote wellness and healing for tribal youth, among many other programs." The 206 grants went to tribes in more than two dozen states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oklahoma. In Oklahoma alone, 13 tribes received more than $12.5 million. “These awards will greatly assist tribes in Oklahoma in their efforts to combat crime, strengthen community policing, serve victims of crime and protect their communities,” said U.S. Attorney Sanford C. Coats said in a press release. “We look forward to our continuing work with Oklahoma tribes to improve public safety and victim services for all tribal members.”
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