Indian Country Needs Better Crime Data

When we read stories like this one, about trying to build a successful law enforcement and crime prevention program without adequate crime data, we appreciate what a serious problem that is. Among the recommendations for effective implementation of the Tribal Law and Order Act are recommendations about collecting and using standardized data. Better record-keeping enables courts to identify offenders who would benefit from alternate sentencing, like drug courts.  Compiling and sharing the data means that offenders can't skip from reservation to reservation.

If your tribal law enforcement department wants to improve your data collection or analysis, Lamar Associates can help you conform to national standards and best practices.

Sex Offenders in Your Community

When released from prison, there are few restrictions that prevent sex offenders from living anywhere they want. Depending on the case, some individuals may be released without supervision. A recent report from the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing (DOJ COPS) offers individuals more information about steps taken to monitor sex offenders and how to protect your family.

A few key tips from the report:
• Check the National Sex Offender Public Website to see if there any sex offenders are living within three miles of your home or children's school.
• Practicing proactive parenting, including monitoring Internet use, and regularly checking the offender website can alert you to suspicious individuals quickly.
• Understand the differences among the types of offenders.
• Encourage any offenders you know to fully comply with court orders.

Click here to download the full report.

Dangers of Rural Law Enforcement

Walter Lamar  honoring fallen officers
BIA Officer Memorial in Artesia, NM. 2012 

Every officer working on a reservation or in a rural area understands how dangerous the work can be. Understaffing leads to long shifts and poor backup; long distances and bad roads contribute to a disproportionate number of vehicular accidents. Recognizing a need to improve officer safety and survival, Lamar Associates/ Indian Country Training is partnering with Narrowgate Security Agency (NGSA) to provide a dynamic, three-day training course that includes two days of live fire exercises.

Did you know:
An officer is killed in Indian Country on an average of every 20 months.
Indian Country officers are more than 36 times more likely to be assaulted in the line of duty than Department of Homeland Security officers.
Indian Country officers are assaulted at twice the national rate.
60% of Federal officer assaults occur in western states.
43% of officer deaths are the result of gunfire and 35% are result from vehicular accidents (including vehicle assault and accidents during pursuit).
BIA police are victims of almost one-third of assault cases against Federal officers.
Nearly 93% of Indian Country officers know their assailant.

Great News from the DEA

The Drug Enforcement Agency announced today that they would be regulating 26 synthetic drugs under the Controlled Substances Act under Schedule I including several synthetic cannabinoids and the "2 C family" of hallucinogens that have been in the news recently.

We applaud all such actions on the part of the government, as it will clear up many jurisdictional issues with Indian Country smoke shops. However, as I pointed out not too long ago for Indian Country Today, when you start with 450 known compounds, banning some is a good start, but doesn't address the whole problem. A more comprehensive approach is to change the culture in which sales of these harmful chemicals can thrive, even when they're labeled "not for human consumption."

Proposed 2013 Budget Increases Funds to Native Law Enforcement

The White House's proposed budget holds most Indian Affairs programs steady for FY 2013 but increases funding in a few key areas. The budget contains $11 million in targeted increases for BIA Law Enforcement for law enforcement operations, detention center operations and tribal courts. The request for law enforcement operations also builds on increases from previous years to support criminal investigations and police services that improve recruitment and hiring for law enforcement officers and detention center staff.

The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry EchoHawk said,

"The budget request maintains President Obama’s commitment to strengthening tribal nations by making targeted increases in Indian Affairs programs that support tribal self-determination in managing BIA-funded programs, increase public safety in tribal communities by strengthening police capabilities, improve the administration of tribal land, mineral, timber and other trust resources and advance Indian education."

Read the full story at the Cherokee Phoenix.