Oregon Public Broadcasting

An old problem is getting new attention: high crime rates are coupled with a lack of crime-fighting-resources on Indian reservations across the U.S.

The Obama administration has now announced a new initiative to address domestic violence, gangs and other criminal activity on tribal land. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

Native Americans are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime. In the 1990s, the Clinton administration tackled the issue.

A decade later problems persist and the Obama administration is vowing to take another stab at reducing crime rates in Indian country.

Tom Perrelli is the number three official at the U.S. Department of Justice. He acknowledges any solutions will likely require more money.

Tom Perrelli: “I think we hope to be able to provide a renewed commitment from the federal government, but also build tribal institutions because they are often going to be the first ones on the ground dealing with a lot of these problems.”

Top DOJ officials will be in Seattle next Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with Northwest tribal representatives. Then it's on to Albuquerque followed by Minneapolis in October for what the Justice Department says is the first national conference on reservation crime since 1994.