15-05-2025
South Dakota senator urges Burgum to address tribal ‘public safety crisis'
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds is urging the Trump administration to establish a permanent tribal law enforcement academy in the Great Plains to address crime on tribal lands.
In a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Tuesday, the Republican senator said law enforcement agencies in the Great Plains region are understaffed despite a 'growing tribal public safety crisis' with violent crime rates as much as five times the national average for some tribes.
'Tribal law enforcement leaders continue to struggle to hire and retain law enforcement officers,' Rounds wrote. 'Many law enforcement leaders believe providing additional training options in the Great Plains would help build greater law enforcement capacity throughout the region.'
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Rounds' request comes on the heels of the Trump administration releasing a preliminary budget proposal that seeks to slash spending on tribal law enforcement by more than $100 million. The cuts, part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to shrink federal spending, would be achieved by streamlining the Bureau of Indian Affairs' law enforcement program and encouraging tribal governments to seek grants and assistance from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
