Tribes awarded $18M to assist law enforcement, criminal justice efforts

Fifteen Oklahoma tribes will split $18 million in federal grants to tackle issues ranging from substance abuse to violence against women to community policing.

The Cherokee Nation will receive about $3 million, including $898,100 to address violence against women, $749,993 for improving alcohol and substance abuse services within its justice system and $565,241 for public safety.

The Choctaw Nation will receive roughly the same amount to address violence against women, along with $449,999 to assist victims, $350,000 for “juvenile healing to wellness courts” and $296,738 for youth programs.

The largest grant will go to the Quapaw Tribe with $3.9 million for corrections and programs that offer an alternative to incarceration. The tribe also will receive $446,714 to tackle alcohol and substance abuse, plus $232,929 for policing.

The Ponca Tribe will be given $1 million for its corrections and correctional alternatives, along with $450,000 for victim assistance and $350,000 for youth programs.

The U.S. Justice Department announced the grants Tuesday.

“Reducing violent gang and gun crimes in Indian Country is crucial to protecting citizens who live in and around tribal communities,” said R. Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney in Tulsa. “The justice community must also look to help those with mental health and substance abuse issues to re-enter society as productive citizens.”

The grants are a segment of $100 million given to 125 tribes across the United States.

Oklahoma tribes receiving grants and the total amount each will receive are:

• Caddo Nation: $200,000.

• Cherokee Nation: $3,087,900.

• Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes: $400,000.

• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: $1,994,588.

• Citizen Potawatomi Nation: $1,098,106.

• Comanche Nation: $749,348.

• Delaware Tribe of Indians:$424,845.

• Muscogee Creek Nation:$803,912.

• Pawnee Nation: $700,000.

• Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma: $1,800,000.

• Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma: $4,590,422.

• Seminole Nation of Oklahoma: $900,000.

• Seneca Cayuga Nation: $1,023,181.

• United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians: $91,794.

• Wyandotte

Nation: $200,189.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center also will receive $1.5 million Tribal Youth Program Training and Technical Assistance grant. This program provides training, support, resources, information and related technical assistance to help tribes meet the needs of their youth.