DOJ announces $50M for tribal communities

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety and the Reno Police Department in Nevada have roughly the same number of officers and serve populations of similar size. But the Navajo are responsible for more than 20,000 square miles, compared to just 57 square miles for Reno.

The public safety challenges of Indian Country are great — violent crime, domestic violence, methamphetamine, human trafficking, potential threats to national security and crimes against children, said U.S. Associate Attorney General Kevin J. O’Connor in remarks Wednesday to the 16th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Albuquerque.

The event was hosted by Isleta Pueblo Gov. Robert Benavidez and U.S Attorney Greg Fouratt. Diane Humetewa, U.S. Attorney for Arizona; Brett Tolman, U.S. Attorney for Utah; and Troy Eid, U.S. Attorney for Colorado were among those in attendance.

During the conference O’Connor announced that more than $50 million in additional grant funds are being awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice to help tribal communities, for a total of nearly $100 million awarded in 2008.

The awards include funds for tribal courts assistance, alcohol and substance abuse prevention, juvenile and mental health programs, victim assistance, and developing responses to violent crimes against Indian women.

The funding includes more than $38 million awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women to support programs that aid victims, including the Legal Assistance for Victims Program, designed to increase the availability of legal services to victims of assault, stalking, and domestic violence.

“This investment will help tribes develop criminal justice strategies that meet their needs. Tribes face unique challenges that require unique solutions,” said O’Connor.

“At the Department of Justice, we are well aware that a victim’s pain doesn’t end immediately after a crime is committed. Rather, victims continue to suffer during the investigations and trials that follow, and in many cases for years afterward.

“A crime is often a quick, discrete act — a shot fired or a purse snatched. But the effects can linger, with hours and days spent in a hospital bed or on the telephone trying to reclaim a stolen identity. Simply put, our system of justice isn’t always easy on the victim.”

O’Connor said there is a need not only for DOJ, but for all of society to recognize the value of helping to rebuild the lives of victims. “To deliver justice, we must also take concrete steps to ensure that the people victimized by crime are treated as people, not just as evidence in an investigation. Our work cannot end with the apprehension of the criminal. We must also provide whatever assistance we can to aid the reconstruction of victims’ lives.”

Humetewa said she is proud to partner with fellow U.S. Attorneys, tribal leadership and criminal justice agencies in the Four-Corners region to share information so they can better serve crime victims in Indian Country. “Together we continually strive toward prevention and deterrence of violence in Indian Country. But when that does not happen, we are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who commit these violations of federal law.”

Policing in Indian Country is unique, O’Connor said. “Your law enforcement agencies are responsible for patrolling more than 55 million acres of land. The level of coordination and cooperation that is a part of your daily routine far surpasses that required by most law enforcement agencies.

“We know that staffing shortages, changes in personnel, and the need to constantly hire and train new recruits can place serious strains on a law enforcement agency’s budget and management. We also know that these challenges are often compounded by the vast geographic areas that some of you patrol.”

According to the National Congress of American Indians, there are only 2,380 Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal uniformed officers available to serve an estimated 1.4 million Indians in the lower 48 states.