BIA spends $1M on Standing Rock Sioux 'surge'
Monday, July 14, 2008
Filed Under:
Law
|
National
The
Bureau of Indian Affairs is spending about $1 million to beef up law enforcement on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, an official said.
Pat Ragsdale, the director of the BIA's Office of Justice Services, has been on the reservation to oversee "Dakota Peacekeepers." The temporary, 90-day plan has put 20 officers on the ground, up from the six that normally patrol the 2.3 million-acre reservation, which straddles the North Dakota and South Dakota border.
The effort started in June and the response has been positive. Arrests are up and reservation residents -- both tribal and non-tribal members -- have welcomed what is being called a "surge" of law enforcement.
"So many people tell us, 'I can finally sleep at night,'" said Elmer Four Dance, a BIA special agent, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.
The BIA hasn't committed to maintaining the increased presence. Ragsdale said he is running out of money.
Get the Story:
Tribal surge succeeding
(The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 7/12)
Relevant Documents:
Operation Dakota
Peacekeeper (BIA)
Related Stories:
Column: Sen. Thune takes on law enforcement
issues (7/10)
Editorial: Funding alone won't help Standing Rock (6/16)
Editorial: Standing
Rock Sioux confront crime (6/13)
Editorial: Standing Rock crime deserves attention
(6/10)
BIA tackles crime on Standing
Rock Reservation (6/5)
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