Serving vulnerable populations in Indian Country is an ever-evolving process. The U.S. government recognizes 566 tribes and there are 325 Native American reservations, Furthermore, there is “a total of 618 legal and statistical areas for which the Census Bureau provides statistics, including reservations, off-reservation trust lands, Oklahoma tribal statistical areas, tribal designated statistical areas, state American Indian reservations, and state designated American Indian statistical areas.”1 There are currently 258 tribal police agencies that have at least one full-time sworn officer with arrest authority. Poverty is a problem for Native Americans living on reservations. The reservation poverty rates are 29.4 percent for individuals and 36 percent for families (compared with the U.S. averages of 15.3 percent 9.2 percent, respectively).2 Northwestern University conducted a study that concluded one-third of Native Americans live in poverty. The median income for Native Americans is $23,000 a year; 20 percent of Native American households have a total annual income of less than $5,000. As the study points out:
Due to the oppression of Indigenous peoples, reservations cannot provide adequate economic opportunity. As a result, a majority of adults are unemployed. Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota has better numbers than most reservations—43.2% of the population lives under the poverty line. However, this rate is nearly three times the national average.3
Native Americans are also at an increased risk for several health issues such as
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“More than 84 percent of Native American and Native Alaskan women have experienced violence in their lifetimes.” |
The challenges faced among this population and addressed in this article may sound familiar; however, as the study from Northwestern University succinctly states, they can be particularly complex and deep-rooted in Native American communities.
Challenges
Drugs
Specific drug-related problems currently facing tribal law enforcement include the epidemic use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50–100 times stronger than morphine and that often originates in Mexico and is distributed within the community. The opioid-related overdose death rate in 2021 was 38.7 deaths per 100,000 Native Americans.4 The drugs (including fentanyl itself and drugs that are laced with fentanyl) that are distributed on the streets often carry a high enough dose to kill people.
Alcohol is another substance that is abused in Native American communities. Overall, Native Americans have a higher rate of substance abuse than any other racial and ethnic group. Research shows that there are several factors that contribute to these rates:
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- Historical trauma
- Violence (including high levels of gang violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault)
- Poverty
- High levels of unemployment
- Discrimination
- Racism
- Lack of health insurance
- Low levels of attained education5
Homelessness
It is estimated that Native Americans make up 8 percent of the U.S. homeless population. This high rate of homelessness is caused by a number of factors, including mistrust of the government, overcrowding, a lack of available low-cost housing, and feelings of isolation.6
A 2017 assessment of Native American housing showed that homelessness affects almost every tribal area:
Nationally, 99.8 percent of tribal housing officials reported that doubling up (i.e., taking in family and friends who would otherwise risk homelessness) was a problem in their tribal areas, and 88 percent said households experience literal homelessness (i.e., sleeping on the street, in emergency shelter, or someplace not meant for human habitation).7
It is common to see more than one family share a house due to the lack of housing; however, this can increase housing instability:
Overcrowding can cause the housing provider to terminate the lease due to additional people residing in the house longer than agreed to. Also, applications for housing may be declined for fear of Native Americans inviting an excess number of individuals to reside in the house. Additionally, there is the possibility that children are harmed, abused, or exposed to substance use from relatives or others living in the home.8
It is important to note that 22 percent of Native Americans live on tribal lands, while 72 percent live in off-reservation urban or suburban areas. However, both groups experience homelessness or unsafe living conditions at higher rates than non-Indigenous people. In the United States, 1 person out of 1,000 is experiencing homelessness, but that rate rises to 1 out of 200 for Indigenous peoples.9
Tribal police often work with other resources to help those experiencing homelessness in their area. For example, in Minneapolis, Autumn Dillie, an outreach worker with the American Indian Community Development Corporation, organized a group to go out into the community to assist those in need. She explained how their organization assists the community by having a medical team go out into the homeless community, assess health issues, and provide vaccinations for individuals. The vaccinations helped in addressing an outbreak of Hepatitis A, as declared by the Minnesota Department of Health, particularly among those experiencing homelessness.
The team immediately helped people with getting on suboxone, according to Rosemary Fiste, a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Suboxone, a prescription drug, is used to help people quit opioids by lessening withdrawal symptoms and blocking the narcotic effects.
Dillie went on to say:
Two outreach groups hand out hats, water, snacks, and unused needles and can take people to shelter or recently opened drop-in centers. One at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center and another at the American Indian Community Development Corporation. A fourth group goes in Metro Transit’s “Homeless Action Team” bus, which can sign people up for medical benefits, rental subsidies and welfare, as well as take people to shelter and treat minor medical injuries.10
Mental Illness
Tribal police also face the realities of mental illness within their communities and are working to educate their officers on how to engage with people in crisis. For example, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma utilized federal grant funding to train police, youth workers, and health staff who deal with mental illness first aid in crisis situations. The Cherokee Nation has six instructors out of 5,000 across the United States.
The desired outcome is obviously to reduce the number of numerous reported deaths of Native Americans who deal with mental illness.
Recent training of 20-plus Cherokee Nation Health Services staff and local health-care agencies received eight hours of instruction where they memorized a 5-step action plan on how to identify mental health risk factors, offer support and become effective communicators. Funded through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Serve Administration grant and the Indian Health Service, five courses of instruction are provided for Cherokee Nation employees in recognizing risk factors and warning signs of mental illness and how they relate to an emergency situation. Renewal certification for the instructors is required every three years.
Although Oklahoma doesn’t have a mental health diversion program, officers are required to take part in at least two hours of mental health training. The Council on Law Enforcement and Education Training (CLEET) has a 40-hour program that can train officers in de-escalation and how to identify mental illness or substance abuse in person.12
The Choctaw Nation offers an educational summit on behavioral health to their Lighthorse officers, where officers can learn about responses to people experiencing a mental health crisis or substance abuse. In addition, they have employed counselors and case managers to help people involved in the criminal court system get mental health assessments and treatment.13
Services and Solutions
Victim Services
Many tribes offer victim services to their communities. The Iowa tribe in Oklahoma has the Tribal Victim Services Set Aside Program. This program
works with victims of crime to help assure that their rights as crime victims are realized. The program serves all victims in our community, regardless of ethnicity. The focus in the coming year is serving those victimized by drunk and drugged drivers, elder abuse, and human trafficking. Program staff serves as a single point of contact and accountability as they work to coordinate federal, state, local, and tribal programs and services to meet the needs of victims and usher them through the criminal justice system.14
The Chickasaw Lighthorse Police have victim service coordinators who help crime victims by providing needed resources to help in returning them to some sense of normalcy. Those resources may be in the form of temporary housing (for domestic violence victims), transportation, and education on potential court processes and how the judicial system works. Coordinators may also help victims file for protection orders; provide diapers and formula for children; help victims and witnesses enroll in counseling services; and provide food, clothing, and other resources, among other services.
More than 84 percent of Native American and Native Alaskan women have experienced violence in their lifetimes, according to a study from the National Institute of Justice. The study shows the women are more likely to be victims of interracial perpetrators and are significantly more likely to suffer at the hands of intimate partners. Native American and Native Alaskan men are close behind, with 80 percent experiencing violence as well.
“The role of respect is important in tribal culture and their communities.”
Most victims feel the need for legal services, but many lack resources to get that help. Native American Rights Fund (NARF), a nonprofit organization, uses legal action to ensure the rights of Native Americans are upheld. Since its inception in 1970, NARF has helped tens of thousands of Native Americans from more than 250 tribes all over the United States.15
Community Policing
Tribal community policing makes an impact on vulnerable populations. Community policing requires officers to make a personal connection to the people they serve. This can be as simple as making coffee runs to vulnerable populations on the street or working with tribally run groups specific to needs of those dealing with addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues and those who need victims’ services. Being visible in the community can make a difference in the relationships officers build. Increasing the number of positive interactions and enhancing police relationships within these tribal communities has increased the willingness of tribal members to reach out to the police with their needs. For Tribal officers, community policing is part of their daily duties in the community rather than a program. With smaller agencies, officers have to balance their enforcement and support roles. The limited resources and large land mass to patrol on their reservations, many officers are alone and may have to wait a significant amount of time for a backup unit. From an officer safety standpoint, officers are more likely to know what they are walking into when they respond to a call, and can more easily deescalate tense situations, when they have relationships with tribal members and can communicate with them effectively.
Smaller agencies allow for exceptional opportunities for closer relationships among officers and community members that are beyond standard police practices. This relationship, however, provides for opportunities for officers to perform duties such as checking on elderly tribal members, provide rides home for people, and playing basketball with youth.
The role of respect is important in tribal culture and their communities. As sovereignty and jurisdictional authority expand in Indian Country, tribes take a great deal of pride in being able to take care of their people, especially from the law enforcement perspective.16 d
Notes:
1Administration for Native Americans, “American Indians and Alaska Native – By the Numbers.”
2Administration for Native Americans, “American Indians and Alaska Native – By the Numbers.”
3Amanda J. Godfrey, “5 Facts About Life on the Native American Reservations,” The Borgen Project Blog, December 5, 2020.
4 Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, “The Opioid Crisis: Impact on Native American Communities,” fact sheet, 2023.5 American Addiction Centers, “Alcohol and Drug Abuse Among Native Americans,” updated September 12, 2022.
6Dominica, “Native Americans, Homelessness, & Substance Abuse,” Sunrise Native Recovery (blog), January 3, 2022.
7Jennifer Beiss, “Homelessness in Indian Country Is a Hidden, But Critical, Problem,” Urban Wire (blog), April 11, 2017.
8Dominica, “Native Americans, Homelessness, & Substance Abuse
9Samantha Steeves, “Housing for Indigenous Peoples & Tribal Nations,” CitiesSpeak (blog), November 29, 2022.
10Max Nesterak, “Native-Led Effort Brings Nighttime Help to Homeless,” Minnesota Reformer, February 11, 2020.
11Mark Maxey, “Tribe’s Mental Illness Safety Course May Deter Police Shootings,” People’s World, April 24, 2018.
12Allison Herrera, “‘I Want To Help My People’: Tribal Nations in Oklahoma Focus on Mental Health Treatment,” NPR Morning Edition, December 6, 2022.
13Herrera, “‘I Want to Help My people.’”
14Bah Kho-Je, “Victim Services Unit.”
15Godfrey, “5 Facts About Life on the Native American Reservations
16International Association of Chiefs of Police, Promising Practices in Tribal Community Policing (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016), 17–18.
Please cite as
Randy Wesley and Michelle Cooke, “Serving Vulnerable Populations in Indian Country,” Police Chief Online, June 14, 2023.
