Tribal, state and local officials in South Dakota all agree there are problems with criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country, The Rapid City Journal reports.

The state has no authority on the reservation or on trust lands that may be outside of reservation borders. This means tribal members can flee to tribal lands to avoid prosecution for crimes committed off the reservation.

In Walworth County, there is a bridge leading to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation that some people use to flee. "We�ve had people actually stop after they�ve crossed and laugh at us," the county sheriff told the paper. "We couldn�t do anything."

On the tribal side, officials say more cooperation is needed on the state and federal level. They note that many crimes involving non-Indians go unprosecuted. The tribes have no authority in these cases.

State law authorizes the state to enter into extradition compacts with tribes. So far, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe is the only one with a compact.

Gov. Mike Rounds (R) proposed a compact with the Oglala Sioux Tribe in order to extradite two tribal members accused of participating in an off-reservation crime. The agreement is on hold due to the continued suspension of tribal President Cecilia Fire Thunder.

Get the Story:
Reservation borders frustrate some prosecutors, law enforcement agencies and crime victims (The Rapid City Journal 12/21)
Extradition treaty hangs in limbo (The Rapid City Journal 12/21)

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