OLYMPIA, Wash. – The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) has challenged law enforcement and prosecutors for years. US Senator Maria Cantwell (D) says a lack of resources for tribal law enforcement is part of the problem.
Cantwell, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, argued for more federal funding for police departments on tribal land.
A joint US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) report published in March stated that one of the most significant contributors to the MMIP crisis was a lack of competitive funding for tribal law enforcement.
“[DOI] continues to support Congressional efforts intended to help Tribes stay competitive and retain critical public safety personnel…There is woefully insufficient funding to support public safety in Indian country,” the report said.
Cantwell touted the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act, a policy she introduced in July 2023 and hasn’t seen much movement since, on Wednesday.
“[It] would help tribal police departments hire and retain tribal law enforcement officers by providing tribal law enforcement officers access to federal retirement, pension, death, and injury benefits on par with law enforcement officers from non-tribal jurisdictions,” Cantwell said.
The problem poses challenges on a national and local level. Indigenous women across the US experienced the second highest rate of homicide in 2020 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In eastern Washington, Cantwell says tribal police departments are struggling to keep up due to gaps in resources.
“The Yakama Nation Police Department has less than one quarter of the police officers to patrol its 1.4 million-acre reservation and serve 30,000 residents, so clearly they need more support,” Cantwell said.
The senator echoed the joint DOI and DOJ report by focusing on the need to make tribal law enforcement jobs more attractive to potential candidates.
“The Chief of the Tulalip Police Department testified before this committee earlier this month — his department lost approximately 50% of their commissioned officers due to [recruitment] by non-tribal jurisdictions over time. The Kalispel Tribe lost nine officers over a five-year period the same way,” Cantwell said.
A list of datapoints circulated to media outlets by Cantwell’s office illustrated the potential problems arising from understaffed departments.
According to Cantwell’s office, the Colville Tribal Police Department has eight vacancies out of 29 officer positions, meaning that an officer on patrol may be responsible for nearly a thousand square miles of land with backup patrols being over half an hour away.
The Lummi, Yakima, Chehalis, Spokane, Cowlitz, Nisqually and Kalispel tribes are all also currently understaffed according to Cantwell’s office.
There is no current Congressional Budget Office cost estimate for Cantwell’s proposed bill, though it would presumably contain a funding boost for departments to recruit new members.
While it is unclear whether the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act will find broad congressional approval, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis continues to exert stress on tribal departments already struggling with a competitive labor market.
