The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

Abstract: Tribal law enforcement agencies share concurrent jurisdiction for all criminal matters among tribal members occurring on tribal lands. They often act as the first responders for serious felony crimes committed in Indian country, until the appropriate federal and state law enforcement official arrive upon the scene. Tribal law enforcement agencies are authorized and operated by tribes to enforce tribal laws, statutes and criminal codes. Tribal police officers are responsible for ensuring public safety on reservations, trust lands and tribal communities. Although tribal law enforcement agencies now number 279, unlike their Federal, State and local counterparts, they have been the subject of only limited studies and no comprehensive recurring statistical collection.

As part of the CTLEA questionnaire development process, during FY 2016 and FY 2017, BJS implemented a comprehensive and culturally centered strategy to gather input from both federal agencies and tribal law enforcement agencies on the proposed content for the CTLEA questionnaire. First, various DOJ policy and grant making components were invited to provide recommendations on their critical data needs to improve program planning and resource allocation. Second, BJS hosted a two day tribal justice expert panel in Phoenix, Arizona that included participants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the FBI's Indian Country Crimes Unit, tribal law enforcement agencies, and Alaska Native villages. Third, the CTLEA draft questionnaire content was then submitted for review by various tribal law enforcement agencies, including those in both Public Law (Pub. L.) 280 and non-Public Law 280 jurisdictions and BIA agencies.

BJS conducted cognitive testing during July—August 2018 of the CTLEA survey to ensure: (1) Question ordering and item clarity, (2) availability of data types requested, and (3) verification of the estimated respondent burden. The full data collection period, which is anticipated to commence April-August 2019, pending OMB approval.

The CTLEA will collect data on the administrative and operational characteristics of the tribal law enforcement agencies, with the goal of producing national statistics on tribal law enforcement agency staffing; sources of funding; calls for service and arrests; training; coordination and collaboration with Federal, State and local agencies; technology use; and, access to regional and national criminal justice databases. These data will allow BJS to establish baselines for future trend analyses and comparisons with future surveys of tribal law enforcement agencies.