Other views: Law and order are essential on reservation

Tools for addressing crime on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation are being put into place. A new federal law recently enacted will provide more law enforcement officers, prosecutors and flexibility in dealing with jurisdictions for Standing Rock and other reservations. It sounds good. The truth of the matter will be found in the application and performance of key agencies — federal and tribal.

The Tribune editorialized earlier that addressing the challenging issues on America’s Indian reservations must begin with creating a climate of safety for the people who live there. And that must be accomplished with federal action and strong local support.

The Tribune began Sunday publishing an occasional series on Native American criminal justice issues by reporter Jenny Michael, who recently attended a specialized reporting institute — “Tribal Justice? Reporting on Crime in Native America” — held at the University of New Mexico Law School and funded by the John Jay College Center on Media, Crime and Justice and the McCormick Foundation.

The Tribal Law and Order Act, signed into law in July and sponsored by Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and John Thune, R-S.D., allows for stiffer sentencing and more flexible application to conflicting jurisdictions. It provides more resources to basic law enforcement. The act is complimented by the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Operation Alliance which will create 12 permanent law enforcement positions on Standing Rock. Further, there’s a shortage of qualified officers for the nation’s reservations, and United Tribes Technical College wants to become an academy for training tribal police.

The act also gives tribal government more responsibility, and that’s the way it should be.

The tools are being found for repairing life in communities on reservations.

Crimes on the reservation occur at 2.5 times the national rate. It’s an unacceptable situation. It makes it impossible to deal with high unemployment, dismal economic opportunities and a host of social problems. One well-intended program after another has failed on this and other reservations. But if crime could be reduced there, and people felt safe in their homes, then reservation citizens may be better able to help solve these difficult problems.

The Tribal Law and Order Act will not fix all of the problems on Standing Rock, but it can make the reservation a safer place in which to live, and that’s a good beginning.

Tags: other views, standing rock, opinion, editorials, sioux, reservation