Central South Dakota News

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) has sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of the Interior Deb Haaland, urging an update to the funding formula for tribal law enforcement.

Rounds highlighted that despite rising crime and inflation, funding for Great Plains tribal law enforcement agencies has remained unchanged since 1999 when law enforcement was removed from the Tribal Priority Allocation. Any budget increases since then have been added on top of their 1999 budget, making historical funding levels a key determinant in current public safety budgets.

“In the last several years, tribal leaders on the Great Plains have reported a significant increase in violent and drug-related crime,” wrote Rounds. “With some reservations experiencing violent crime rates five times higher than the national average, it has become apparent tribal law enforcement agencies are lacking necessary resources. Concurrently, these same agencies are also reliant on the BIA’s outdated law enforcement funding methodology. Many tribal leaders believe the current method for disbursing law enforcement funding puts Great Plains tribes at a disadvantage.”

Rounds continued, “If the Department of Interior is unable to modernize the BIA law enforcement funding formula, tribal leaders will have difficulty addressing public safety threats. It is my hope our federal partners will take this issue seriously and consult with tribes. Specifically, this could involve developing a distribution formula that is able to deliver appropriated funding to areas with the greatest need.”

Since June 2023, Rounds has been working with South Dakota tribes to advocate for additional funding and resources for reservation law enforcement:

- In August 2024, Rounds hosted a roundtable with all nine tribes in South Dakota and United States Attorney General Merrick Garland to discuss solutions from the Department of Justice.

- In May 2024, he requested funding for tribal law enforcement programs in the FY2025 Appropriations bill.

- In April 2024, he asked BIA to consider opening a tribal law enforcement training center in South Dakota.

- In March 2024, Rounds and Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) requested a Government Accountability Office inquiry into tribal law enforcement funding.

- In December 2023, Rounds, Thune and Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) sent a letter to Secretary Haaland urging her to address public safety issues on South Dakota reservations.

- In June 2023, they requested additional support for South Dakota's tribal law enforcement agencies from Secretary Haaland.

The full text of Senator Rounds' letter outlines his concerns about how historical allocations affect current budgets:

"The current distribution method has only allowed for Great Plains law enforcement agencies to receive slight funding increases," he wrote. "In Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, one Great Plains tribe received just over $1.3 million in law enforcement funding. Today, this agency is funded at the same level it was in FY 2013."

Rounds emphasized that policing challenges have evolved significantly over two decades due to increased violent crime rates and transnational drug trafficking.

"It is my hope our federal partners will take this issue seriously and consult with tribes," concluded Rounds.

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