LOWER BRULE - Chairmen from five tribes pressed the head of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs for more funding and less red tape for
jails and officers.
The testimony came Friday at a field hearing organized by U.S.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., for the House Natural
Resources Committee.
Witnesses criticized BIA procedures and budget practices and
complained about delays in certifying police officers.
Mike Jandreau of the Lower Brule tribe and Lester Thompson Jr.
of Crow Creek walked out of the hearing, saying nothing they heard
from the BIA eased their concern about the lack of jails on their
reservations.
"Bureaucratic lip service," Thompson said.
Lower Brule recently finished a $13 million jail but it has
yet to open because the BIA hasn't certified it for staffing,
Jandreau said.
Lower Brule has been without a jail for five years and $1.2
million allocated by the BIA for the new facility was diverted to
other tribes, he said.
"What we are asking, more than anything else, is to be treated
fairly," Jandreau said.
The Lower Brule jail was scheduled to open in September but
was delayed until April, which came and went with no progress, he
said.
It will be operating soon, said BIA Director Patrick
Ragsdale.
"My understanding is it should be able to open and operate in
a couple of months," he said.
Herseth Sandlin replied: "With all due respect, that was the
response I got a year ago."
The BIA in January 2006 closed the jail in Fort Thompson, home
of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. The reason given was safety, in part
because of low staff numbers.
