Justice disparities on South Dakota reservations must be addressed, says U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited South Dakota on Wednesday, the South Dakota Searchlight reports.

Justice disparities on South Dakota reservations must be addressed, U.S. attorney general says

by Joshua Haiar

SIOUX FALLS — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday during a visit to South Dakota that national crime rates have dropped, but challenges remain on tribal reservations in the state.

“We know that progress in some communities has not been the same,” Garland said. “Progress across the country is still uneven. Of course, there is no level of violent crime that is acceptable.”

He said the Justice Department has allocated $19.1 million since 2021 to support tribal justice initiatives in South Dakota.

“Tribal communities deserve security and justice,” he said.

Garland’s visit included a meeting in Sioux Falls with Alison Ramsdell, the U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota, and with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement leaders. He was scheduled to participate in a roundtable discussion later Wednesday in Wagner with members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota.

John Pettigrew, acting police chief of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, recently told a congressional committee that federal funding for tribal law enforcement — which is required by treaties dating back to the 19th century — is “a joke.” He said the tribe’s Public Safety Department is funded at 15% of its needs, a shortfall that has led to inadequate staffing, longer response times and officer burnout.

Yankton Sioux Tribe Police Chief Edwin Young told South Dakota Searchlight before Wednesday’s meeting in Sioux Falls that the tribe is having trouble recruiting and retaining officers.

“We need to have a competitive salary with local law enforcement. We don’t have a real retirement system. Those kinds of things are pretty much nonexistent in most tribal programs,” Young said.

His department currently has three officers, but needs at least 12 to effectively police the area, he said.

Logistical obstacles in training and recruitment compound financing problems.

Traditionally, tribal officers have had to complete their training at a Bureau of Indian Affairs facility in New Mexico, a requirement that has been a barrier to recruiting new officers. But the agency recently endorsed a new state-run summer training facility in Pierre that would provide training closer to home for future tribal officers. Rounds has called for the creation of a federal training facility for tribal law enforcement in the Great Plains region.

Before Garland’s visit, public safety on reservations in South Dakota had long been a topic of public debate.

Republican Gov. Kristi Noem gave a speech in January claiming that Mexican drug cartels operate on reservations, and she has repeated those claims numerous times since. That and other comments led leaders from all nine tribes in the state to vote to ban her from their reservations. Noem did not attend Wednesday’s rally in Sioux Falls.

In addition, the Oglala Sioux Tribe has sued the federal government, alleging it is failing to meet its treaty obligations to fund public safety. Concerns about public safety on the tribe’s Pine Ridge Reservation have recently increased after a 56-year-old man was fatally shot during a powwow earlier this month.

Photo: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks to media in Sioux Falls on August 14, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

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