NCJ Number
193323
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 31-32
Date Published
January 2002
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes the role of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ), which is the single point of contact in the Justice Department for addressing the broad and complex Federal responsibilities to Indian tribes.
Abstract
The Justice Department prosecutes crimes in Indian Country, administers funds to tribes for building their capacity to address crime-related problems in Indian Country, and, in conjunction with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal police, provides essential law enforcement support and coordination in Indian Country. The OTJ facilitates coordination between and among departmental components that work on Indian issues and provides a permanent channel of communication for Indian tribal governments in their dealings with the Justice Department. One of the most significant OTJ tasks is the coordination of the efforts of the Justice and Interior Departments to implement the Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative. OTJ works directly with tribes to ensure that Federal resources are used efficiently to counter crime. This article describes the following programs that OTJ helps coordinate in Indian Country: COPS Tribal Resources Grant Program, which is intended to provide resources to enhance law enforcement infrastructures and community policing efforts in tribal communities; the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program, which provides resources to units of local government, including tribal governments, to reduce crime and improve public safety; the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, which funds the purchase of armor vests for law enforcement officers; and the Violence Against Women Programs, which provides resources for police efforts to address crimes against women. Another effort in which the OTJ is instrumental is the empowering of tribes through cooperative law enforcement agreements and other means of bolstering and supplementing tribal law enforcement capacity. The article concludes with an outline of the fiscal year 2002 Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative budget, which for the most part continues existing funding levels for programs in Indian Country.