11 Blackfeet Police Officers Furloughed

Eleven police officers serving the Blackfeet tribe have been furloughed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Great Falls Tribune reported on March 6.

At issue is the tribal department not conducting complete background checks, as required by the federal agency, on the officers, all who have been with the department since last January. The officers have been trained and certified but only passed preliminary background checks.

The tribal department is pointing the finger at the BIA. Henry Devereaux, the department's interim director, said the agency never adjudicated the officers with the more in-depth background checks.

Yet the BIA tosses the blame back. Elizabeth Hall, deputy special agent for the BIA in Billings, said: "That's not our responsibility. … The tribe is supposed to do the background checks."

Also, before January, the BIA had not conducted a review of the two-year-old program, which is under a three-year contract.

The furloughed officers have been replaced with nine BIA officers, who will remain in place until the background checks are done.

Contract Support Funding to Rise by $64 Million

The FY 2011 budget requests of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service have a combined increase of over $64 million for contract support costs. These funds are used to fund tribes' indirect costs associated with P.L. 93-638 contracts and compacts.


It is important for tribes to prepare their FY 2011 indirect cost proposals in a manner that insures full recovery of allowable overhead costs. For information or assistance in preparing these proposals, please contact Tom Wilkins at 800-992-4489, ext. 119 or tom.wilkins@falmouthinstitute.com

Drunk-Driving Campaign Underway in Indian Country

Launched on Dec. 21 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a drunk-driving prevention campaign is underway in Indian Country to save lives this holiday season.

The campaign, called “Don’t Shatter the Dream,” is being conducted by BIA and tribal law enforcement in Indian Country through Jan. 3, 2010. It seeks to send a message that driving while impaired will not be tolerated throughout the holiday season and that tribal officers are on alert to protect drivers on reservation roadways. This is the fifth year for this enhanced enforcement effort, which includes such tactics as checkpoints and saturation patrols on federal Indian lands.

A new tool utilized this year is the BAT (Breath Alcohol Testing) mobile. Four were delivered in November to three BIA Office of Justice Services law enforcement districts — Billings, Mont., Albuquerque, N.M., and Muscogee, Okla. These districts serve 77 federally recognized tribes, with a combined population of 581,756, in seven states. The 40-foot long mobile units, costing approximately $300,000 each, use state-of-the art lighting, camera and communications systems. Each has an Intoxilyzer 8000 to precisely measure breath alcohol levels, a containment cell to transport suspects and an interior camera to produce court-quality videos of the testing process.

Niagara County IDA Challenges Indian Preference, Receives Letter from BIA

Deputy Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Kevin Bearquiver responded to an inquiry from the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) that challenged Indian Hiring Preference on the Hickory Stick Golf Course in Lewiston, New York.

The hiring procedures of the golf course are of concern to the IDA because of a property tax break it granted to the course, which is not built on Seneca-owned land. Bearquiver informed the IDA that the Seneca Nation of Indians isn’t in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as the Act allows “any business or enterprise on or near an Indian Reservation” to practice Indian hiring preference.

Please click here to view Bearquiver’s letter to the IDA, via Turtle Talk.