The Justice Department and the Department of the Interior convened this year’s Tribal Justice, Safety, and Wellness Summit from July 9 to 11. The three-day virtual event featured several key presentations and panels on public safety issues taught by nationally recognized subject matter experts working in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Hundreds of federal, state, and Tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, advocates, court staff, victim/witness services staff, and Tribal leaders attended the Summit.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland provided opening remarks. He reiterated the Department’s commitment to working with Tribal partners to ensure that Tribal communities feel safe. He also discussed the Department’s efforts to address public safety challenges that Tribes face, including the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous persons, and the impact of human trafficking and drug trafficking.
“Public safety in Tribal communities is a core priority for this Department,” said Attorney General Garland. “And partnerships between federal and Tribal law enforcement are among our greatest tools to meet the many challenges that Tribes face.”
To address the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous persons and to help families get justice and answers they deserve, last year the Department created the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach Program. This program places five attorneys and five coordinators in designated regions across the United States to aid in preventing and responding to cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous persons.
Summit attendees participated in various panels on public safety issues within four training tracks: resources; missing or murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP); criminal justice law enforcement and prosecution; and technology.
FBI Director Chris Wray also gave opening remarks at the Summit. “Protecting Native American communities has been a priority for the FBI since our organization was founded more than a century ago,” said Director Wray. “And we remain just as committed today as we were then to combating criminal activity on Tribal land, supporting victims, and helping Indigenous communities heal and thrive.”
Director Wray highlighted efforts to combat high levels of violence faced by Native Americans. For example, over the past year, two more task forces were added as part of the FBI’s Safe Trails Task Forces initiative which focuses on apprehending dangerous criminal offenders in tribal communities. Wray also announced a surge of resources to tribal areas this summer for Operation Not Forgotten 2024.
The Summit included presentations on various topics such as elder abuse; environmental justice; MMIP initiatives like developing Tribal community response plans; law enforcement responses to sexual assault and domestic violence; and technology initiatives like the Tribal Access Program aimed at supporting public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The Justice Department remains committed to addressing persistent violence endured by Native American communities while bringing justice to victims and their families. The widely attended 2024 Tribal Justice, Safety, and Wellness Summit expanded partnerships necessary for strengthening public safety, health, and wellness in Tribal communities across the country.