New White House task force holds first meeting
Attorney General William Barr speaks at a Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes council meeting, Nov. 22, 2019, on the Flathead Reservation in Pablo. Sitting with Barr are Kurt Alme, left, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, and Tracy Toulou, director of the Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky FILE)
A new White House task force held its first meeting last week to discuss the alarming rate of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The task force, co-chaired by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Attorney General William Barr, is composed of federal officials charged with enhancing criminal justice response, consulting with tribal governments on potential solutions and empowering native communities with information.
President Donald Trump announced the creation of the task force following Barr’s November visit with tribal leaders and law enforcement officials on the Flathead Reservation.
“The disappearance and death of American Indian and Alaska Native people, particularly women and girls, is an especially tragic chapter in a long story of marginalization and trauma suffered by native people,” Barr stated in a media release last week. “We are committed to addressing this challenge, to reducing the violence and protecting the vulnerable from exploitation and abuse. The task force is eager to get to work to address the issues that underlie this terrible problem, and work with our tribal partners to find solutions, raise awareness, and bring answers and justice to the grieving.”
American Indians and Alaska Natives experience disproportionately high rates of violence. The National Institute of Justice estimates that 1.5 million Native American women have experienced violence in their lifetime. Other federal studies have shown that women on reservations are killed at more than 10 times the national average.
President Trump has called the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans “sobering and heartbreaking.”
The task force, designated Operation Lady Justice, is tasked with reviewing Indian Country cold cases, strengthening law enforcement protocols, and to work with tribes to improve investigations, information sharing and a more seamless response to missing persons investigations.
According to the Interior, the task force specifically will:
•Consult with tribal governments on the scope and nature of the problem and will hold regional consultations and listening sessions at several locations around the country;
•Develop model protocols and procedures for addressing both new and unsolved cases of missing and murdered persons in tribal communities;
•Establish a multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional team, which will include tribal law enforcement, to review cold cases;
•Address issues related to roles, authorities and jurisdiction among tribal, local, state and federal agencies; and
•Develop and execute a public awareness, education and outreach campaign for affected communities.
The task force will host its first listening session at the National Congress of American Indians’ Executive Council Winter Session in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 12.