Sens. Rounds, Thune seek GAO inquiry into tribal law enforcement budget and reservation crime

South Dakota’s Republican senators recently called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into tribal law enforcement funding and any correlation with surges in crime on reservations, with a specific look at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

“In the last two years, tribal leaders on the Great Plains have reported a significant increase in violent and drug-related crime,” the senators wrote. “Law enforcement leaders in Indian Country directly attribute the recent uptick in crime to police personnel shortages. Consequently, criminal entities are directly targeting reservation communities and distributing higher volumes of illegal drugs.”

U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and John Thune (R-SD), requested additional support for tribal law enforcement agencies from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland last year, and later that same year urged her to address what they dubbed a public safety crisis on South Dakota’s reservations.

At the core of the current push is how the BIA responds to public safety emergencies in tribal communities. Specifically, several BIA reports referenced a funding formula, the methodology for which the agency has not publicly disclosed. Separately, the BIA Office of Justice Services has noted the agency attempts to meet a ratio of 2.8 officers per 1000 citizens. If that is the case, South Dakota’s tribal police departments do not meet those figures.

“In an effort to improve law enforcement services in reservation communities, tribal law enforcement leaders have begun to closely examine BIA budgetary practices,” the senators continued. “While it is apparent the agency considers several factors when allocating appropriated funding, it is unclear if the agency has set procedures for responding to public safety emergencies. Moreover, there are a number of other unanswered questions related to the funding of tribal law enforcement.”

The senators asked GAO to consider if tribal law enforcement personnel have increased over the last 20 years, how many positions remain unfilled, how much tribal law enforcement funding has increased over the same period and how many calls for service tribal law enforcement officers respond to annually, among others.

Last year, Oglala Sioux President Frank Star Comes Out declared a state of emergency for the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwest South Dakota, accusing the federal government of allowing law and order to break down by failing in its responsibilities to provide adequate law enforcement. The tribe has also clashed with the state’s Republican governor, Kristi Noem, whom Star Comes Out banned from the reservation in February, for rhetoric linking immigration and crime.