National

Local says law enforcement lacking in Whiteclay

Friday, September 7, 2007

Law enforcement in the border town of Whiteclay, Nebraska, is weak, according to one of the owners of a beer store.

But the sheriff in Sheridan County says officers visit the town about four times a day. That results in liquor law and DUI offenses that are almost double the rate in Nebraska.

Most of the offenders, however, are not from Nebraska. They are from the Pine Ridge Reservation, just a few miles across the border in South Dakota.

Sixty-five to 70 percent of the population in Sheridan County's jail "has an address from the reservation," Sheriff Terry Robbins told the Associated Press.

Congress appropriated $200,000 to allow the Oglala Sioux Tribe to patrol Whiteclay. But half of the money is gone because the tribe hasn't used it and the other half is in danger because the tribe hasn't cross-deputized its officers.

Get the Story:
For Whiteclay, still more problems than answers (AP 9/7)

Another Story:
Alcoholism ‘intense’ at regional drinking hubs (AP 9/7)

Whiteclay Series:
Standing at the Crossroads (Lincoln Journal Star June 2005)

Relevant Links:
Nebraskans for Peace - http://www.nebraskansforpeace.org