Public Law 93-638
The Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 affords tribes the opportunity to provide for their own police departments and other institutional services through federal grants and contracts.
Tribal Law Enforcement
Public Law 83-280 (commonly referred to as Public Law 280 or P.L. 280)
Establishes criminal justice responsibilities among American Indian tribes with tribal land, the states in which tribes are located, and the federal government. Public Law 280 is mandatory or optional for 204 tribes, about two-thirds of the total in the lower 48 states. In states where P.L. 280 does not apply, the federal government retains criminal jurisdiction for major crimes committed under the Indian Country Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 1152), the Indian Country Major Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 1153), and the Assimilative Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 13).
Cross deputization agreements
Allow law enforcement personnel from state and tribal entities to cross jurisdictions in criminal cases. Cross deputization agreements have been used to enhance law enforcement capabilities in areas where state and tribal lands were contiguous and intermingled. Under some agreements, federal, state, county/local, and/or tribal law enforcement officers have the power to arrest Indian and non-Indian wrongdoers wherever the violation of law occurs.
Criminal jurisdiction in tribal areas
Jurisdiction over offenses in Indian country may lie with federal, state, or tribal agencies, depending on the particular offense, offender, victim, and offense location. For more information on tribal jurisdiction, see State Prosecutors' Offices with Jurisdiction in Indian Country, 2007, Tribal Law Enforcement, 2008, Census of Tribal Justice Agencies in Indian Country, 2002, and the Jails in Indian Country series.
Tribal Law Enforcement, 2000
Date Published
January 2003
Publication Type
Publication
Census of Tribal Justice Agencies in American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Jurisdictions (CTJA02)
Includes data on the number of law enforcement agencies and officers; characteristics of tribal courts and their caseloads; types of available criminal sanctions; and criminal justice statistics data collection and sharing capacity. The census collected data from nearly 350 tribes in the continental U.S. and is the first comprehensive effort to identify the range of justice agencies operating in tribal jurisdictions, the services those agencies...
Census of Tribal Justice Agencies in Indian Country, 2002
Date Published
December 2005
Publication Type
Publication
Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA)
Provides data on all state and local law enforcement agencies operating nationwide. Data collected include the number of sworn and civilian personnel by state and type of agency, and functions performed by each agency.
Collective Efficacy and Crime in Rural Wyoming Communities with Rapid Natural Resource Related Economic Development and Tribal Crime Data Reporting Project
2008-BJ-CX-K046
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2008
$84,383
Montana 2008 SAC
2007-BJ-CX-K020
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2008
$117,650
Montana 2007 SAC
2007-BJ-CX-K020
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2007
$78,500