Violent crimes across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota have increased in recent years
This undated photo provided by Holly Ann Wilson shows her grandson, Logan Warrior Goings, who was killed in her home in a drive-by shooting in 2022 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Oglala Sioux sued the federal government in July 2022, and a trial started in February 2023 over the tribe's allegations that the U.S.
These types of crimes have become increasingly common on the 5,400-square-mile reservation. Only 33 officers and eight criminal investigators are responsible for over 100,000 emergency calls each year across the reservation, which is about the size of the state of Connecticut, tribal officials said. The officers and investigators are all federally funded — and the tribe says it's just not enough.
“If federal law enforcement is woefully weak, which it is on most reservations, it’s not carrying out its duty as the trustee, as the guardian of Indian nations,” he said. The South Dakota reservation, about 80 miles southeast of Rapid City, is located between the Nebraska border and theThe location has made it convenient for both human and drug trafficking, explained Patricia Marks, an attorney with the tribe, while its lack of police has meant it's known as a “lawless area.”
Criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country is complicated and depends on whether the suspect, victim or both are Native American, and where the crime occurs. “For all practical purposes, it is the tribal police who are the first responders regardless of the type of crime,” she said. “They’re the ones that have to get out there and answer the call."
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