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Tribal leaders say law enforcement underfunding leaves reservations dangerously understaffed
Summary
Across multiple tribal witnesses, leaders told the appropriations panel that BIA law enforcement funding is far below need, leaving many reservations with single‑officer shifts and forcing tribes to subsidize policing and detention.
Tribal leaders from the Fort Hall Reservation to Standing Rock and Lac du Flambeau told the House Appropriations subcommittee that chronic underfunding of Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement and detention operations has created public‑safety crises on many reservations.
Donna Thompson of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes said her reservation should have 25 officers under BIA guidelines but currently has nine, "which means that only 1 or 2 officers patrol our 550,000 acre reservation covering 4 counties at any given time." She cited a BIA report that identified over $1.7 billion in law‑enforcement needs while the BIA is funded at…
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