SPOKANE, Wash. – The US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 230 page report on March 5 addressing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis.
The report, which responds to the crisis of violence and human trafficking faced by indigenous women across the United States, makes several recommendations for law enforcement agencies.
One key recommendation was the recruitment and retention of more members of tribal law enforcement. According to the departments, struggles finding indigenous applicants and competitive pay being offered by other law enforcement agencies are two causes of staff shortages for tribal police.
“[DOI] continues to support Congressional efforts intended to help Tribes stay competitive and retain critical public safety personnel. DOI particularly appreciates…efforts to lower administrative barriers and give Tribal law enforcement officers increased access to the same federal benefits…as other federal law enforcement,” the report said.
Failure of law enforcement agencies to efficiently coordinate resources and information regarding missing persons investigations was also highlighted by the report.
Missing and murdered indigenous persons reports are regularly issued by Washington State Patrol, including two women going missing within a 48 hour span in late February.
According to the report, an Office of Justice Programs grant will fund legal fellowships for attorneys to advocate for indigenous communities as victims’ rights attorneys in Washington and Montana this fiscal year.
