"Unhappy with the way criminal cases are handled on the White Earth Indian Reservation, tribal officials are seeking more control over law enforcement and the courts.

Tribal officials say local counties don't prosecute crimes on the reservation aggressively enough.

Rape cases particularly are going unpunished on the White Earth reservation, Tribal Attorney Joe Plummer said. Tribal officials want those cases prosecuted to help break the cycle of teen pregnancy and poverty on the reservation.

"These are young girls, 14, 15, 16 years old being impregnated by older men, 21 and older," Plummer said. "And these are not being prosecuted. I can't remember when one was prosecuted."

But county officials strongly disagree. They contend tribal members don't cooperate with investigators.

The tribe's dissatisfaction over how criminal cases are handled on the reservation is just one example of the tension between White Earth and Mahnomen County over land, taxes and crime.

A review of Mahnomen County court records from 2008 to 2009 appears to confirm Plummer's complaint about the lack of prosecution for criminal sexual conduct cases. But it's unclear if all of the records from those years are entered in the public database."

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White Earth pushes for more control of law enforcement (Minnesota Public Radio 10/13)