Tribal Police About to Lose Internet Access

USA Today reports that the federal government is about to pull the plug on a program that provides Internet and e-mail service for thousands of police officers in tribal and other rural police departments. Police need Internet access for various functions, including criminal investigations. Comanche Police Chief Vernon Griffin told the paper that they use the service to solicit help for basic operations and to respond to officer fatalities. Some tribes have no alternative Internet connection.

The program, known as the Tribal Rural Law Enforcement Internet Project, has operated in some form since 1995. It is based at the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement at the University of Arkansas. Program manager Jimmy Nobles says members are "beside themselves" at the prospect of losing it. Read more about it here.

NCAI Spreads the Word about Meth

Tribes have worked furiously in their own communities to get the word out on methamphetamine, how it destroys lives and culture. Now, through the National Congress of American Indians and with support from a slew of partners, they are coming together to spread the word throughout Indian Country.

The message is being sent via a national ad campaign, launched in April by NCAI in cooperation with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the U.S. Department of the Interior. In the form of a series of free, public service radio and print ads, the goal is reduce usage of this deadly drug among American Indians and Alaska Natives by raising awareness. Read more about it here.

Senate Agrees to $1 Billion for Tribal Justice Programs

The U.S. Senate late Friday afternoon agreed to vote next week on a spending-bill amendment pushed by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to authorize $1 billion over five years to strengthen and expand Native American criminal justice programs. Thune and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., want to add spending authorization for up to $2 billion over five years for both the criminal justice and safety programs and Native American water projects. Read more about it here.

Former Chief Attempts Casino Coup

Former Seneca-Cayuga Chief Paul Spicer Thursday tried to take over the tribe’s casino. Spicer’s attorney, Thomas Hayde, said Second Chief Katie Birdsong, who won her position in a disputed election held in June, and other members of the business council were illegally sworn in. A tribal court order signed Wednesday said Spicer should remain in office. Birdsong says the order is invalid because court was abolished in June. Read more about it here.

Interior IG Accuses Trustee of Steering Lucrative Accounting Contract to Friend

In a report released yesterday, the U.S. Department of Interior Inspector General accuses a special deputy trustee with the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians in Albuquerque of pressuring members of a three-person team in 2005 to give a valuable risk-management contract to a friend, despite what some contractors called a superior and cheaper offer by another company.

The trustee’s friend was a partner in an Albuquerque accounting firm, which won the $987,000 contract. The contract was modified 14 times over nearly a two-year period and ultimately increased to $2.4 million. Read more about this in the Washington Post.

FCC to Host Workshop for Tribes on DTV Transition

The Federal Communications Commission will host a roundtable and workshop July 16-17 in Salt Lake City as part of the Indian Telecommunications Initiates initiative. Federal officials will discuss the digital television (DTV) transition and telecommunications development in Indian Country. Details of the meeting are available here.

The July meeting will take place at the Indian Walk-in Center, 120 W. 1300 S. St.To register for the free meeting, call 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322), press number 6 and follow the prompts to leave your full contact information. Or fax your information to 202-418-2839, or send an email to iti-info@fcc.gov.

For more information, contact Shana Barehand, FCC senior attorney and liaison to tribal governments, at 202-418-0385 or shana.barehand@fcc.gov. More information can also be seen at the FCC's Tribal Initiatives website at www.fcc.gov/indians.

Soboba and Riverside Sheriff Officials Agree to Communicate

Weeks after deadly gun battles between Riverside County sheriff's deputies and Soboba tribal members, leaders from the two sides shook hands Monday over an agreement they say will help them communicate and cooperate more effectively.

Relations between the 900-member tribe and the department have been strained since three deadly shootings and a series of police pursuits that ended with gunfire on the reservation east of San Jacinto.

Tribal leaders and sheriff's officials began negotiating shortly after shootings, meeting behind closed doors almost every week. The five-page cooperation agreement signed in front of reporters and a handful of tribal members was lauded by Salgado as "a start of better communication." Read more about it here.