Dept. of Justice Fights Reservation Crime

October 30, 2009

By Patrick Condon of the Associated Press

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that the Department of Justice has spent almost $400 million to help Native American tribal communities reduce crime on their reservations.

Holder said the money, both economic stimulus funds and general Department of Justice dollars, will go to hire tribal law enforcement officers, fund domestic violence prevention programs, buy crime-fighting technology and equipment, create sex offender registries, and build and renovate correctional facilities and tribal courts.

"The crime statistics in Indian Country have been staggering and unacceptable," Holder said at the conclusion of a two-day summit between Justice officials and tribal leaders from around the country. He said some reservations have crime rates of "two, four, even 10 times the national average."

Overall, federal statistics show that American Indians are the victims of violent crime at more than twice the national rate. Incidence of homicide and domestic violence are much higher than the national average. Holder cited one study that found one in three American Indian women would be raped in her lifetime.

He Vows to Visit Tribal Communities Personally

In addition to the grants, Holder said he is creating a permanent "Tribal Nations Leadership Council" that will meet twice a year to coordinate crime prevention efforts between the Justice Department and tribes. He vowed to personally visit several tribal communities in the next year and beyond to keep tabs on the efforts.

Holder's boss, President Barack Obama, had promised during the presidential campaign to devote more resources to fighting crime and its roots on Indian reservations. The Justice Department shares responsibility for Indian crime with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is part of the Department of Interior, and with state and tribal governments.

Holder, who was deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration, had worked on Indian crime issues under then-Attorney General Janet Reno and said he hoped to bring renewed emphasis to the issue.

"We made some wonderful progress under the Clinton administration, but there was a bit of a time out after that," said Ted Quasala, chairman of the Nevada Indian Commission. "This is a breath of fresh air."

About 350 tribal officials and 100 Department of Justice employees attended the two-day conference in St. Paul. It was closed to the public and the media.

Patrick Condon is an Associated Press staff writer.

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