Senator Rounds and Secretary Burgum Discuss Tribal Police Cooperation and Land Disputes

Enhancing Tribal Law Enforcement

• 💡 Tribal law enforcement agencies in the Great Plains are significantly understaffed, with some covering millions of acres with only two officers per shift.
• 🔑 A major hurdle for recruitment is the requirement for new officers to travel to New Mexico for six months of training.
• 🎯 The proposal to utilize local training centers, such as the South Dakota Law Enforcement Training Center, aims to improve recruitment by reducing travel time and costs.
• 🤝 Secretary Burgum expressed full support for adding basic training spots locally, believing it would aid recruitment for northern plains tribes and save money.

Combating Violent Crime on Tribal Lands

• 📈 Some Great Plains tribes have experienced violent crime rates up to five times higher than the national average.
• 🤝 Tribal leaders have proposed establishing a cross-jurisdictional commission to directly address violent crime, involving officials from the Department of the Interior and Department of Justice.
• ✅ Secretary Burgum views this joint commission approach positively, anticipating it would lead to significant progress in a short period.

Resolving Minor Fence Line Disputes

• 🏞️ The Department of the Interior's land management agencies oversee vast areas, and minor fence line disputes between producers and federal officials are common.
• ❓ Senator Rounds inquired whether the Department of the Interior follows a standard mediation process for resolving these issues.
• 🏡 Secretary Burgum, familiar with similar issues on ranch land, suggested that local mediation would be a common-sense approach to avoid escalating disagreements into legal action.
• 🤝 He agreed to look into whether a mediation process currently exists and expressed willingness to assist in establishing one if needed.