Prevent and Control Delinquency and Improve the Juvenile Justice System

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. launched a Department-wide initiative on public safety and victim services in Tribal communities. As part of this effort, Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership conducted a series of meetings across the country addressing violent crime in Tribal communities. As a result, DOJ developed the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, combining DOJ's existing Tribal government-specific competitive solicitations into one, and thus requiring only one application from each Tribe or Tribal consortium. This approach provides federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal consortia the opportunity to develop a comprehensive approach to public safety and victimization issues. This award was selected under Purpose Area #8, Prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system (OJJDP-Tribal Youth Program - TYP), CFDA #16.731, authorized under the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2010, Division B, Title II, Public Law 111-117, 123 Stat. 3122, 3134.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation is responsible for patrolling the entire 221, 646 acre reservation to not only to enforce Tribal game laws but also to assist the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Lower Brule Tribal Police with enforcing all aspects of the Tribal Law and Order Code. BIA Police Officers are consistently understaffed. In addition, the Reservation has over 80 miles of Missouri River shoreline, which requires Tribal Conservation Officers to patrol and enforce federal laws (Archaeological Resource Protection Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act). The Lower Brule Sioux Reservation is very rural and isolated. Archaeological/cultural sites, recreation areas as well as popular hunting areas are often located in remote areas that are difficult to access. Patrolling these areas takes a heavy toll on law enforcement vehicles. Replacing patrol vehicles is a major expense that is not funded adequately under current BIA funding levels. Current patrol vehicles are four years old and have over 100,000 miles. BIA and Tribal officers responded to 1404 calls from October 2006 thru March 2007. There were 228 calls for community assistance, 202 traffic, 192 DUI, 45 drug related and 13 resisting/eluding. CA/NCF