U.S. Attorney Garland focuses on public safety needs in SD tribal lands

Posted on by Vaseline

WAGNER — Oglala Sioux Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out did his best to hide his frustration. Across the table was the highest law enforcement official in America — and a reflection of his political headaches on public safety.

But Star Comes Out and the leaders of South Dakota’s nine tribal governments welcomed U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland to South Dakota anyway.

Garland joined U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, in a roundtable discussion Wednesday hosted by the Yankton Sioux Tribe.

The nation-to-nation discussion touched on several areas of public safety issues and their specific impact on tribes, including officer safety, financing, and the trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit goods by drug cartels. Garland acknowledged the need for improvements in public safety funding and the daily trials of tribal officials who have gone without it.

“Officers are under stress and put in life-threatening situations every day,” Garland told the assembled leaders.

Rounds said the discussion served as an icebreaker for the tribes and the federal government to address deficiencies in law enforcement and public safety — issues he described as topics “that transcend politics.”

“They want that relationship with the federal government,” Rounds told reporters after the meeting. “This was an opportunity for both the chairman and the attorney general to go back and forth in an advisory approach on things that would improve public safety.”

This comes after the Oglala Sioux Tribe sued the federal government for failing to provide adequate funds for public safety as set out in the treaty.

Public safety and overall tribal relations have been a source of controversy in South Dakota, in part due to past comments made by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

She previously alleged that the cartels specifically targeted reservations in South Dakota to “facilitate the spread of drugs into the Midwest.” In March, she also alleged, without evidence, that tribal leaders “personally benefited” from the cartels at a meeting in Winner.

Noem also made disparaging comments about Native American parents at a rally in Mitchell earlier this year, saying their children have “no hope” when it comes to education and parental involvement.

The governor has also asked lawmakers to provide more funding for the tribe’s public safety needs. In February, Noem wrote to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs urging more funding for tribal law enforcement in South Dakota.

But Star Comes Out said the tribe’s handling of the issues came across as relatively “respectful.”

“It shows respect when they come to the table, and it’s good to see that when they meet with the tribes, that’s always a good thing,” Star Comes Out told the Argus Leader at a press conference after the discussion. “And to me, it shows respect in a way that they’re here to listen.”

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