NCJ Number
209864
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2005 Pages: 69-80
Date Published
March 2005
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article analyzes the historical and contemporary issues involved with law enforcement in Indian Country.
Abstract
Policing in Indian Country has always been a contentious topic, particularly among the American Indians who live there. The intrusion of local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies into the criminal justice operations of Indian Country is viewed by the native people as cultural genocide because outside law enforcement means the imposition of Anglo-American laws and values at the expense of traditional cultural ways. The author traces the history of policing in Indian Country from the early 1800s through to current times, explaining how Federal and State agents kept a hand in law enforcement in Indian Country despite the struggles of the American Indians to govern their own people through traditional processes. The Major Crimes Act and the “Index Crimes” represented major encroachments on tribal autonomy by establishing Federal jurisdiction over all Major Crimes. Contemporary trends in policing Indian Country are discussed and include the standardization of Indian police training through the establishment of Indian Police Academies (IPAs) and the National Native American Law Enforcement Association. Cases, statutes, references