Rounds, Thune and Johnson Urge Interior Secretary to Address Public Safety Crisis on Reservations
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland urging the Department of Interior to immediately address the public safety crisis and lack of law enforcement resources on reservations in South Dakota. This action follows a June 2023 letter requesting additional support for tribal law enforcement agencies.
Specifically, the delegation asked Secretary Haaland to coordinate with the Department of Justice and other relevant federal partners to provide additional resources to tribal law enforcement agencies and consult with individual tribal leaders to find immediate solutions.
“We write to you to follow up on our June 12, 2023, letter and to again report to you that the shortage of law enforcement personnel in South Dakota tribal communities continues to present a significant threat to public safety,” wrote the delegation. “Since the writing of our last letter, tribal law enforcement leaders have reported an increase in violent and drug-related crime. It is critical the Department of the Interior consider the severity of the current situation.”
“The current situation presents a serious threat not only to tribal police officers, but also to all law-abiding citizens in reservation communities,” the delegation continued. “In the last several months, at least three tribal governments in the state of South Dakota have declared a state of emergency in response to public safety threats. The current situation is causing other tribal leaders in the state to consider doing the same. In response to the police shortage, some residents of tribal communities have even resorted to establishing citizen patrols to look out for crime.”
Read the full text of the letter HERE or below.
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Dear Secretary Haaland:
We write to you to follow up on our June 12, 2023, letter and to again report to you that the shortage of law enforcement personnel in South Dakota tribal communities continues to present a significant threat to public safety. Since the writing of our last letter, tribal law enforcement leaders have reported an increase in violent and drug-related crime. It is critical the Department of the Interior consider the severity of the current situation.
During our recent discussions with tribal leaders, it has become apparent that the public safety crisis is worsening. As discussed in our earlier letter, law enforcement leaders in Indian Country directly attribute the recent uptick in crime to police personnel shortages. On several reservations in South Dakota, only a handful of officers are tasked with patrolling millions of acres. Criminal entities are taking note of the lack of manpower and are directly targeting reservation communities. As a result, tribal law enforcement officers are encountering higher volumes of illegal drugs, including illicit fentanyl.
In the Department of the Interior’s September 28 response to our original inquiry, Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland did not share any specific plans to allocate immediate resources. In addition, the response highlighted slight decreases in reported violent crimes from 2021 to 2022. This response seems to suggest the current crime situation is improving, which contradicts the experience of tribal law enforcement officials on the ground. As you are well aware, complex jurisdictional law in Indian Country can skew tribal crime data. The response letter also highlighted the lengthy hiring processes tribal police agencies must deal with when filling open positions. We encourage the BIA to search for any attainable steps to expedite hiring processes for tribal law enforcement officers.
The current situation presents a serious threat not only to tribal police officers, but also to all law-abiding citizens in reservation communities. In the last several months, at least three tribal governments in the state of South Dakota have declared a state of emergency in response to public safety threats. The current situation is causing other tribal leaders in the state to consider doing the same. In response to the police shortage, some residents of tribal communities have even resorted to establishing citizen patrols to look out for crime.
With the current set of circumstances in mind, we urge the Department of the Interior to coordinate with the Department of Justice and all other relevant federal partners to provide additional resources to tribal law enforcement agencies in South Dakota. We also ask the Department of the Interior consult individual tribal leaders when attempting to find immediate solutions. If tribal law enforcement agencies in South Dakota do not receive immediate assistance, we fear reservation communities will continue to experience a surge in violent crime.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
CC: Attorney General Merrick Garland
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray
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