Madison Daily Leader (S.D.)
Crime on reservations
While there are impasses over many issues among Native American nations, the United States government and the states, the top priority at the moment must be to reduce the unbelievable level of crime on Native American reservations.
The U.S. government has treaty and trust obligations to provide “adequate law enforcement” on Native American reservations, and the adjective “adequate” is not specific enough to help. But we don’t think anyone can argue that crime is out of control and, in some places, a complete lawless situation.
Consider this: A recent Associated Press story reported the Pine Ridge Reservation, home of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has more than 100,000 emergency calls for service each year. Only 33 officers and eight criminal investigators are responsible for handling them all. Those federal officers are spread out over 5,400 square miles.
Quick math says that each officer would handle more than 3,000 calls per year if only one officer dealt with a call. If they were spread evenly, that means more than a dozen emergency calls every shift. And during each shift, the officer would need to cover hundreds of square miles.
Just the fact that we need to establish a specific agency just for murdered and missing indigenous women in South Dakota is heartbreaking. The missing list typically includes dozens of names at any time, and there are so many more missing women who aren’t on the list. And very few “missing” women are found alive. Add to that the drug and human trafficking, as well as other lawlessness, and we have to agree that it is untenable.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe has sued the Bureau of Indian Affairs, alleging the U.S. is not complying with its treaty obligations, and not surprisingly, the federal government states that ambiguity of the treaties can’t force the U.S. to provide the tribe with its “preferred level of staffing or funding for law enforcement.” It’s an argument of semantics, even when everyone knows crime is out of control.
It’s hardly worth assigning blame to only the U.S. government. Tribal governments, states, tribal leaders and tribal members all have responsibility. Because the groups can’t agree on much makes solutions almost impossible to find.
That doesn’t mean we should give up. Each party to this crisis needs to check their past issues at the door and come together to move toward solutions. We wouldn’t expect quick progress, but progress must start right away and build momentum for long-term progress. Immediate action shouldn’t be delayed by anyone.