The Department of Justice said it was taking greater steps to improve public safety in Indian Country.

In a memo, Attorney General Eric Holder ordered 44 U.S. Attorneys' Offices to meet and consult with tribes in their districts annually; develop a plan for addressing public safety on reservations, make violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women a priority and provide updates on their plans to top DOJ officials and to tribes.

"The public safety challenges we face in Indian Country will not be solved by a single grant or a single piece of legislation," Holder said in a press release. "There is no quick fix. While today’s directive is significant progress, we need to continue our efforts with federal, state and tribal partners to identify solutions to the challenges we face, and work to implement them."

The initiative was based, in part, on listening sessions that Holder and other top DOJ officials held last year with tribes. Officials also participated in the White House Tribal Nations Conference last November.

DOJ reports show that American Indians and Alaska Natives are more likely to be victims of crime than any other racial or ethnic group. Native women are more likely to be sexually assaulted than any other racial or ethnic group.

Get the Story:
Feds order new crackdown on crimes on Indian reservations nationwide (The Rapid City Journal 1/11)
Justice Dept. orders new crackdown on tribal crime (AP 1/11)
DOJ Announces New Policies for Indian Country (Main Justice 1/11)