Gov. Noem demands feds enforce law and order on South Dakota tribal lands

Governor asks Senate committee, Biden administration to address Indian Country crime

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is doubling down on calls for the federal government to better combat crime on Indian reservations.

In a letter to the United States Senate’s Committee on Indian Affairs, Noem calls on Capitol Hill lawmakers to “take appropriate action” to address rising crime plaguing South Dakota’s tribal lands, specifically demanding that members of the Biden administration get a first-hand look at what’s happening there.

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“The committee must also urge the Biden Administration to stop shirking its treaty obligations and take necessary actions to keep these people safe,” Noem wrote in a three-page letter sent Wednesday morning.

The federal government is statutorily responsible for providing law enforcement resources to the tribes.

Beyond bringing Biden administration officials in, Noem says she wants to see more police officers hired to protect the reservations, and she believes the current ones should get a pay raise too.