Law | National

Senate Indian Affairs Committee holds field hearing in Wyoming

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Photo by Alejandra Silva / The Riverton Ranger / Twitter

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee traveled to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming on Tuesday for a field hearing on drugs in Indian Country.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), the chairman of the committee, heard from tribal leaders, federal officials, law enforcement and other witnesses about efforts to address substance abuse on the reservation He said drugs can lead to violent crime and other problems.

“For too long, the Wind River Reservation had one of the highest rates of violent crime in Indian Country," Barrasso said in his opening statement.

The reservation is home to the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe. Representatives of both tribes provided testimony at the hearing.

"On the Wind River Reservation the social effects of substance abuse are vast. Families are torn apart, lives are lost, and personal injury is the result. In addition, private and public property is destroyed thus, creating a reflection of the community’s lack of self-esteem and pride," Sunny Goggles, the director of the Northern Arapaho Tribe's White Buffalo Recovery Program, said in written testimony. "Substance abuse effects are directly related to the mortality of the tribal population in our community."

Starting in 2009, the Bureau of Indian Affairs increased its law enforcement presence on the reservation. The so-called surge led to a 60 percent reduction in violent crime although the rate went up after for a time after the officers left.

Get the Story:
U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs now hearing from local representatives (County 10 3/31)
Senator Barrasso Holds Field Hearing on Wind River Reservation (KCWY 3/31)
Senator Barrasso To Chair Reservation Drug Hearing (Wyoming Public Media 3/29)

Committee Notice:
Oversight Field Hearing on "Addressing the Harmful Effects of Dangerous Drugs in Native Communities." (March 31, 2015)