American Indian tribes are pressuring Congress for more police and prevention measures
Washington: American Indian tribal leaders and advocates have pressed Congress for more police officers and stronger prevention programs, warning that Native children and families are at risk due to inadequate law enforcement coverage and gaps in social services.
Testifying before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, witnesses endorsed a draft of the Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act, which would expand justice and safety programs for Native youth, make prevention funding more flexible, and permanently authorize key victim services.
Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski said lawmakers are reviewing Title II of the draft bill, which focuses on justice and safety for Native children, youth, and families. She said the committee’s work has revealed persistent gaps in public safety in Indian Country, particularly in law enforcement and coordinated services.
“If families don’t have access to coordinated community-based services, they are far more likely to go deeper into the justice system,” Murkowski said. She said the draft aims to strengthen coordination, increase flexibility and funding, and invest in prevention, including in areas such as juvenile justice, domestic violence, and missing children.
A key feature of the bill is Tiwahe, a coordinated services model that allows tribes to design locally tailored programs. Murkowski said the legislation would codify Tiwahe and expand it nationwide. It would also create a tribal advisory committee on juvenile justice, direct a study on missing Native children, and provide permanent funding for tribal domestic violence coalitions, resource centers, and the Native Domestic Violence Hotline.
Lona Jackson-Street, chairwoman of the Spirit Lake Tribal Council, said her North Dakota tribe faces serious public safety challenges. “Our homicide rate is four times higher than that of non-Hispanic whites,” she said, adding that there have been five homicides on the reservation this year alone. She said the Spirit Lake Tiwahe program uses a community-based approach to support youth and families before and after they come into contact with the justice system.
Jackson-Street also described the ongoing cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people and said that swift coordination is critical. She called for a significant increase in law enforcement funding, saying that current resources fall far short of the tribes’ needs.
Joan Johnson, a member of the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council, said Tiwahe has transformed services for her remote Montana reservation, located just 35 miles from the Canadian border.
Lori Jump, executive director of the StrongHearts Native Helpline, told senators that Native communities face the highest rates of violence but have the least access to services. She said there are 575 federally recognized tribes, but fewer than half have funding for domestic violence programs.
Anita Fineday, a former member of the Native Children’s Commission, highlighted the barriers that prevent tribes from accessing federal child welfare funding. She said complex reporting requirements limit access to IV-E funding, which all states receive but only a few tribes are able to utilize. She urged Congress to allow tribes to access these funds through consolidated “477” agreements to reduce the administrative burden.
The Native Children’s Commission, created by Congress, documented the disparities faced by Native children and issued recommendations on juvenile justice, child welfare, and public safety.
