Feds OK $273.4M for tribes

By PRESS STAFF

The Department of Justice has awarded $273.4 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, U.S. Attorney Bart Davis’s office said Friday.

Two tribes in the District of Idaho, the Coeur d’Alene and the Shoshone-Bannock, were awarded $4.2 million in funding. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe received $2,019,213; the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes received $2,278,781. The tribes will use the funds to enhance law enforcement, combat domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sex trafficking, to bolster justice systems, prevent and control juvenile delinquency, strengthen the juvenile justice system, serve sexual assault and elder victims and support other efforts to address crime.

“The Department of Justice and my office are committed to improving public safety and serving crime victims in our tribal communities,” Davis said. “This increase in resources, together with aggressive federal and tribal investigations, will help strengthen Idaho tribal communities for years to come.”

Nationwide, 236 grants were awarded to 149 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation

The Justice Department also announced awards and other programming totaling $167.2 million in a set-aside program to serve victims of crime. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims by supporting programming and technical assistance.

The Department also provided $6.1 million to help tribes to comply with federal law on sex offender registration and notification, $1.7 million in separate funding to assist tribal youth and nearly $500,000 to support tribal research on missing and murdered indigenous women and children and other public safety-related topics.