U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

BJS

Technical Repo rt July 2014, NCJ 246917

Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014

Steven W. Perry, BJS Statistician

Highlights

 BJS awarded funding to conduct a survey of state and 

local justice agencies that service tribal lands to better 

understand this aspect of the tribal justice system.

 BJS identified 426 tribal courts across the United States for 

the National Survey of Tribal Court Systems.

 At midyear 2012, a total of 2,364 inmates were confined 

in 79 Indian country jails—a 5.6% increase from the 

2,239 inmates confined at midyear 2011.

 During 2011, 2,658 American Indian or Alaska Natives were 

arrested and booked by federal law enforcement agencies, 

1,254 were sentenced in U.S. district courts, 1,713 entered 

federal prison, and 1,548 exited federal prison.

 The number of tribal law enforcement agencies reporting 

crime data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program 

increased from 143 in 2010 to 158 in 2012. 

 Tribes received $350,609 through the Bureau of Justice 

Assistance’s 2014 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice 

Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. 

 BJS announced two opportunities in 2014, the National 

Criminal History Improvement Program and National 

Instant Criminal Background Check System Act Record 

Improvement Program, to improve tribal criminal history 

records and the reporting of persons prohibited from 

receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law.

0

50

100

150

200

Number of agencies

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

12

83

143

168

158

Figure 1

Tribal law enforcement agencies reporting to the 

Uniform Crime Reporting Program that submitted 

12 months of complete offense data, 2008–2012

Note: Agencies that reported fewer than 12 months of data to the Uniform Crime 

Reporting Program are not included.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the FBI’s Crime in the 

United States, 2008–2012.

Background

The Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA), enacted on 

July 29, 2010, requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 

to (1) establish and implement a tribal data collection system 

and (2) support tribal participation in national records and 

information systems (P.L. 111-211, 124 Stat. 2258, § 251(b)). 

The act further requires the director of BJS to consult with 

Indian tribes to establish and implement this data collection 

system. The BJS director is required to report to Congress 

annually the data collected and analyzed in accordance with 

the act. This report describes activities in support of BJS’s 

tribal crime data collection system and summarizes findings 

and program enhancements for FY 2014.

A total of 566 tribal entities in the contiguous 48 states 

and in Alaska were eligible for funding and services from 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 2014.1 In 2010, there 

1See Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services from the 

United States Bureau of Indian Affairs at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/

FR-2014-01-29/pdf/2014-01683.pdf.
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014 | July 2014 2

were 334 federally and state-recognized American Indian 

reservations. An estimated 4.8 million people lived on 

American Indian reservations or in Alaska Native villages in 

the United States in 2010.2 About a quarter (1.1 million) of 

these individuals classified themselves as American Indian or 

Alaska Native (AIAN).

The tribal justice system in Indian country varies across tribal 

nations and regions of the country. Criminal jurisdiction in 

Indian country—federally recognized reservations, tribal 

communities, and identified trust lands—varies by type of 

crime committed, whether the offender or victim is a tribal 

member, and the state in which the offense occurred. Due 

to the sovereign status of federally recognized tribes in the 

United States, crimes committed in Indian country are often 

subject to concurrent jurisdiction between multiple criminal 

justice agencies.

Over 300 of the tribes in the United States are located in either 

mandatory or optional Public Law 280 jurisdictions. Public 

Law 83-280 (commonly referred to as Public Law 280 or 

P.L. 280) conferred jurisdiction from the federal government 

to six state governments: California, Minnesota (except the 

Red Lake Reservation), Nebraska, Oregon (except the Warm 

Springs Reservation), Wisconsin, and Alaska. These are 

mandatory P.L. 280 states. Public Law 280 also permitted other 

states to acquire jurisdiction either in whole or in part over 

Indian country within their boundaries: Nevada, Idaho, Iowa, 

Washington, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Arizona, 

and Utah. In states where P.L. 280 does not apply, the federal 

government retains criminal jurisdiction for major crimes 

committed in Indian country.3

This report summarizes BJS’s effort to—

 enhance current state and local criminal justice statistics to 

include more information on agencies serving tribal lands

 provide progress updates for the 2014 National Survey of 

Tribal Counts 

 support tribal crime data reporting to the FBI’s Uniform 

Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and calculate tribal award 

eligibility for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance 

Grant (JAG) Program 

 study the handling of AIAN juvenile and adult criminal 

cases in the federal justice system 

 enhance current funding programs to support tribal 

participation in state and national criminal justice databases 

(figure 1).

2For more information about federally recognized tribes, reservations, 

and Alaska Native village statistical areas, see http://www.bjs.gov/content/

pub/pdf/tcdca12.pdf.

3Federal jurisdiction in Indian country is contained under the Indian 

Country Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 1152), and the Indian Country Major 

Crimes (18 U.S.C. § 1153) Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 13). The Violent Crime 

Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 expanded federal criminal 

jurisdiction in Indian country in such areas as guns, violent juveniles, 

drugs, and domestic violence.

Tribal data collections during 2014

During FY 2014, BJS focused on improving its understanding 

of the role of state, local, and tribal justice agencies serving 

tribal lands. Current ongoing surveys were enhanced 

to incorporate items to measure the unique roles of law 

enforcement and prosecutors. In addition, BJS continues to 

prepare for a new census of tribal courts in the United States 

and to enhance other ongoing BJS efforts to improve Indian 

country justice statistics.

Law enforcement

The Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 

(CSLLEA) is conducted about every 4 years. CSLLEA provides 

data on the more than 18,000 state, local, and tribal law 

enforcement agencies operating in the U.S. CSLLEA captures 

agency data on the number of sworn and civilian personnel 

and the range of law enforcement functions each agency 

performs. The census collected data from about 178 tribal law 

enforcement agencies operating in Indian country in 2008 

and about 171 in 2000. A new 2014 CSLLEA will be fielded in 

FY 2015.

To better understand the role played by nontribal state and 

local justice agencies with jurisdiction over Indian country or 

tribal lands, BJS is enhancing the 2014 CSLLEA to ask each of 

the more than 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies 

surveyed if it provides services on tribal lands. From this 

census, BJS will generate a complete list of all state and local 

law enforcement offices that served tribal lands in 2014.

Based on data from the 2014 CSLLEA, BJS will conduct 

a more in-depth study of the activities of nontribal law 

enforcement agencies that service tribal lands. This new survey, 

the Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 

Serving Tribal Lands, will go into the field in 2015. It will 

document the administrative and operational structures 

and the tribal caseloads of these agencies. The survey will 

also gather information about the procedures in place for 

fighting crime on tribal lands based on federal mandates or 

consensual jurisdiction arrangements between tribal and 

state governments.

In 2014, NORC at the University of Chicago was selected as the 

data collection agent. The International Association of Chiefs 

of Police (IACP), the National Sheriff ’s Association (NSA), 

and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) serve as 

consultants for the project. BJS is currently forming an expert 

panel comprised of state, local, and tribal law enforcement 

officers and prosecutors from P.L. 280 and non-P.L. 280 

jurisdictions and Alaska to inform the survey design.

Prosecution

The 2014 National Survey of Prosecutors (NSP) will survey 

all of the estimated 2,400 state prosecutor offices litigating 

felony cases in state courts of general jurisdiction. The 
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014 | July 2014 3

NSP will collect similar information to the 2007 census of 

prosecutors, including a modified Indian country section. The 

survey will gather data on caseloads, annual budgets, tenure, 

salaries, and office staffing (i.e., attorneys, investigators, victim 

advocates, and support personnel). If the office provides 

services to tribal lands, respondents will be asked to complete 

items that explore administrative and legal issues related 

to handling felony cases on tribal lands. The survey will 

contain a 1-page section focused on Indian country justice 

statistics, including the nature of the jurisdiction, sources of 

authority, case types, and reciprocity between tribal, state, and 

intergovernmental agreements.

BJS expects NSP data collection to begin in early 2015. The list 

of prosecutor offices serving tribal lands collected in the NSP 

will be used to conduct a more in-depth survey in 2015. BJS 

will conduct the Census of State and Local Prosecutors’ Offices 

Serving Tribal Lands to obtain more detailed information 

on administrative procedures and practices, tribal caseloads, 

provided services, and the capacity of the offices to report 

detailed data on the tribal matters they handle. NORC at the 

University of Chicago will serve as the data collection agent 

with the assistance of IACP, NSA, and APA.

Tribal courts in the United States

In FY 2014, BJS continued the development of the 2014 

National Survey of Tribal Court Systems (NSTCS). The 

NSTCS will be BJS’s first statistical collection focusing on 

tribal justice systems since 2002. Through the NSTCS, BJS 

will gather information on the administrative and operational 

characteristics of tribal justice systems (including budgets, 

staffing, caseloads and case processes), indigent defense 

services, pretrial and probation programs, protection orders 

and domestic violence, and juvenile cases; implementation 

of various enhanced sentencing provisions of the Tribal Law 

and Order Act (TLOA); and various indigenous or traditional 

dispute forums operating within Indian country.

In early 2014, BJS finalized a list of all known tribal courts. 

BJS worked with tribal justice professionals and experts to 

define the respondent universe of tribal courts. BJS and its 

data collection agent, Kauffman and Associates, identified 

approximately 426 courts or justice forums. The list can be 

found at www.tribalcourtsurvey.org.

BJS has developed three separate but compatible survey 

instruments customized to the various types of tribal courts:

 NSTCS–Lower 48 will focus on approximately 245 tribal 

courts in the lower 48 states. The courts are located in nonP.L. 280 states (with federal jurisdiction for major crimes) 

and P.L. 280 states (in which major crime jurisdiction 

transferred to the states courts). In both types of courts, 

tribes may hold concurrent jurisdiction for crimes involving 

AIAN and primary jurisdiction for most civil matters 

occurring on tribal lands.

 NSTCS–Alaska will focus on about 152 Alaska tribal 

councils and courts that were excluded from the 2002 data 

collection on tribal justice systems. Compared with tribes 

in the lower 48 states, Alaska tribes tend to be smaller, less 

economically well off, geographically dispersed, and have 

less formally organized tribal courts. The tribes in Alaska 

reside in village areas, unlike tribes in the lower 48 states 

that reside on reservations.

 NSTCS–CFR will be the first BJS data collection that 

includes courts operated under Courts of Federal 

Regulations (CFR). A CFR court, using federal laws, 

generally acts as a tribe’s judicial system until the tribe 

establishes its own court. A CFR court is a trial court 

in which parties present their cases before a magistrate. 

Appeals may be taken from the trial court to the Court 

of Indian Appeals. About 29 CFR courts will receive 

the survey.

Several organizations have provided comments on the survey 

instruments, including the Department of Justice’s Office 

of Tribal Justice (OTJ), American Probation and Parole 

Association (APPA), Pretrial Institute (PI), Tribal Law and 

Policy Institute (TLPI), Indian Country Justice Partners 

(ICJP), and the Indian Country Highway Safety Program 

Administration. The organizations suggested additional items 

on pretrial service; probation, parole, and reentry programs; 

and convictions in tribal court for driving under the influence 

or driving while intoxicated. BJS anticipates data collection to 

begin in early 2015.

Jails in Indian country

The Survey of Jails in Indian Country (SJIC) is BJS’s only 

national data collection that provides an annual source of 

data on the estimated 79 Indian country jails and detention 

facilities. BJS initiated the SJIC in 1998 as a component of the 

Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ). The SJIC includes all known 

Indian country facilities operated by tribal authorities or 

the BIA.

The most recent survey collected data on the number of 

inmates and percentage of capacity occupied based on the 

average daily population, midyear population, and peak 

population in the facilities in June 2012. The survey also 

gathered information on staffing, offense types, and conviction 

status, and an addendum collected in-depth data on inmates, 

health services, and facility programs. The findings of the 

SJIC data are in Jails in Indian Country, 2012, (NCJ 242187, BJS 

web, June 2013. The report showed that the number of jails or 

detention centers operating in Indian country increased 14.5%, 

from 69 facilities in 1998 to 79 in 2012. At midyear 2012, a 

total of 2,364 inmates were confined in Indian country jails—a 

5.6% increase from the 2,239 inmates confined at midyear 

2011. For the 79 tribal facilities operating in June 2012, the 

average expected length of stay for inmates was 5 days. During 

FY 2014, BJS completed the 2013 SJIC. Results are expected to 

be released in August 2014.
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014 | July 2014 4

American Indians in local jails

BJS’s Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) collects data on the number 

of AIAN held in local jails and the number held for BIA. 

Jail Inmates at Midyear 2013 - Statistical Tables (NCJ 245350, 

BJS web, May 2014) presents estimates of the number of jail 

inmates at midyear 2013. In 2013, local jails held about 10,200 

AIAN inmates, or 1.4% of the total (731,208) jail inmate 

population at midyear. The ASJ does not provide information 

on tribal membership or affiliations for the AIAN inmates.

Federal justice statistics

The Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) provides annual 

data on workload, activities, and outcomes associated with 

federal criminal cases. It acquires information on all aspects 

of processing in the federal justice system, including arrests, 

initial prosecution decisions, referrals to courts or magistrates, 

court dispositions, sentencing outcomes, sentence length, 

and time served. FJSP collects data from the U.S. Marshals 

Service, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the U.S. Office 

of Probation and Pretrial Services, the Administrative Office 

of the U.S. Courts, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and the 

Federal Bureau of Prisons. Through its Federal Justice Statistics 

Resource Center (FJSRC), BJS compiles comprehensive 

information describing suspects and defendants processed in 

the federal criminal justice system.

The FJSP provides data on AIAN derived from administrative 

records for select stages of the criminal justice system. During 

2011 (the most recent federal data available), 2,658 AIAN were 

arrested and booked by federal law enforcement agencies, 

1,254 were sentenced in U.S. district courts, 1,713 entered 

federal prison, and 1,548 exited federal prison. At the end of 

FY 2011, 3,609 AIAN were held in federal prison (1.8% of all 

prisoners).4

With funding from BJS, the Urban Institute has undertaken 

a special analysis of Indian country cases in the federal 

justice system using FJSP. The final report will focus on adult 

and juvenile cases processed in the federal system from 

4Generated using the Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics 

(FCCPS) tool at http://www.bjs.gov, May 21, 2014. AIAN in these analyses 

include persons living on and off tribal lands and persons who are and are 

not tribal members.

FY 2009–11, and will update data presented on juvenile cases 

in the report, Tribal Youth in the Federal System, 1999–2008, 

NCJ 234218, BJS web, June 2011.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

The NCVS is the nation’s primary source of information on 

criminal victimization. The NCVS collects information on 

nonfatal crimes reported and not reported to the police against 

persons age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample 

of U.S. households. The annual Criminal Victimization reports 

publish victimization estimates of self-identified AIAN.

In October 2013, BJS released Criminal Victimization, 2012

(NCJ 243389, BJS web). From 2011 to 2012, the rate of violent 

victimization—rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated 

assault, and simple assault—reported among AIAN remained 

relatively stable at 45.4 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 

2011 and 46.9 in 2012.

Understanding NCVS estimates of victimization among AIAN 

on tribal lands remains a concern for BJS. NCVS statistics on 

AIAN victimization are often misinterpreted to be referring to 

persons residing in Indian country or tribal lands, when NCVS 

data on AIAN refer to respondents who reside largely outside 

of Indian country. In addition, the NCVS does not determine if 

the self-identified AIAN has tribal membership or affiliation.

As part of the ongoing redesign of the NCVS, BJS is exploring 

the feasibility of adding new items to determine tribal 

membership and whether the victimization occurred on tribal 

lands. Based on current data, multiple years of data would be 

needed to provide reliable estimates on tribal membership and 

victimization on tribal lands.

Tribal participation in national records and 

information systems

During 2014, BJS continued to focus on improving tribal 

participation in national record and information systems by 

working to expand tribal reporting to the UCR Program, 

which increases tribal eligibility for JAG awards, and 

tribal funding eligibility for the National Criminal History 

Improvement Program (NCHIP) and the National Instant 

Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record 

Improvement Program (NARIP).
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014 | July 2014 5

Offenses reported by tribal law enforcement agencies

The FBI asks law enforcement agencies to report eight crime 

types to the UCR: four violent crimes (i.e., murder, forcible 

rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and four property 

crimes (i.e., burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and 

arson). Beginning in 2009, BJS worked with the BIA, FBI, and 

tribes to increase tribal reporting to the UCR. Since that time, 

the overall number of tribal law enforcement agencies with 

identifiable crime data in the FBI’s UCR Program increased 

from 2008 to 2012. Among AIAN tribal law enforcement 

agencies with identifiable crime data, 158 agencies (compared 

to 12 in 2008) reported 12 months of offense information 

and had disaggregated data published in the FBI’s annual 

report, Crime in the United States, 2012. Tribal law enforcement 

agencies reported about 26,902 violent and property crimes 

(not including arson) occurring on tribal lands in 2012 

(tables 1 and 2).

5

In 2012, 81% of violent offenses reported by tribal law 

enforcement agencies could be traced back to the originating 

tribal reservation, up from 6% in 2008. Among these offenses, 

the reporting tribal law enforcement agency was identified 

in the majority of all reports of murder and nonnegligent 

manslaughter (72%), forcible rape (89%), robbery (81%), and 

aggravated assault (80%) (not shown).

From 2008 to 2012, the proportion of property offenses reported 

by tribal law enforcement agencies that were traceable to the 

tribe increased from 13% to 82% (not shown). Between 2008 and 

2012, the number of property offenses known to tribal police and 

reported to the FBI increased 21%, from 17,524 to 21,259.

Tribes and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance 

Grant (JAG) Program

A total of $3,276,838 was made available in 131 awards to 

tribal governments through the JAG Program from 2008 to 

2014 (table 3). The Bureau of Justice Assistance administers 

the JAG Program. BJS calculates the JAG formula-based award 

amounts using specifications outlined in the legislation. JAG 

awards may be used for the following seven purpose areas: 

law enforcement; prosecution and courts; prevention and 

education; corrections and community corrections; drug 

treatment; planning, evaluation, and technology improvement; 

and crime victim and witness programs.

The total funds available for JAG have steadily decreased 

since 2009. The total 2014 JAG funding allocated to tribes was 

approximately $350,609, a 13% decrease from the $404,317 

allocated in 2013. The overall number of tribes eligible for JAG 

awards decreased from 21 in 2013 to 18 in 2014.

The five largest JAG allocations to tribal governments in 

2014 were awarded to the Navajo Nation ($75,262), Rosebud 

($41,362), Minnesota Chippewa Tribe ($19,249), Standing 

Rock Sioux Tribe ($18,942), and Three Affiliated Tribes of the 

Fort Berthold Reservation ($17,006).

5Data are based on the crimes reported to the BIA and tribal law 

enforcement agencies submitting 12 months of complete offense data. 

Those tribes providing less than 12 months of crime data to the UCR are 

not included in the aggregated total estimates provided in tables 1 and 2.

National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) 

and Indian country

In 2014, BJS announced the continuation of the NCHIP 

program. Federally recognized tribal governments are eligible 

to apply, and tribes may submit applications as part of a multitribe consortium. NCHIP serves as an umbrella for various 

record improvement activities and funding sources, each of 

which has unique goals and objectives. BJS strongly encourages 

states and tribes to ensure the integrated functioning of record 

improvement initiatives, regardless of the funding source.

The goal of the NCHIP program is to improve the nation’s 

safety and security by enhancing the quality, completeness, 

and accessibility of criminal history record information by 

ensuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice 

and noncriminal justice background check systems. Despite 

the tremendous progress made toward criminal record 

improvements among states, several significant shortcomings 

remain among tribal justice agencies.

Table 1

Violent crimes reported by tribal law enforcement 

agencies, 2008–2012

Year

Violent 

crime Homicide Forcible rape Robbery

Aggravated 

assault

2008 6,212 172 879 296 4,865

2009 5,650 139 882 293 4,336

2010 5,532 133 852 280 4,267

2011 5,983 141 1,264 280 4,298

2012 5,643 101 872 300 4,370

Note: Data are based on the crimes reported to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and 

tribal law enforcement agencies submitting 12 months of complete offense data to 

the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Those tribes providing less than 

12 months of crime data to the UCR are not included. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the FBI, Crime in the United 

States, 2008–2012.

Table 2

Property crimes reported by tribal law enforcement 

agencies, 2008-2012

Year

Property 

crime Burglary Larceny-theft

Motor 

vehicle theft

2008 17,524 4,692 10,168 2,664

2009 16,131 4,604 9,081 2,446

2010 17,713 4,990 10,495 2,228

2011 20,597 5,263 12,692 2,642

2012 21,259 5,417 13,020 2,822

Note: Data are based on the crimes reported to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and 

tribal law enforcement agencies submitting 12 months of complete offense data to 

the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Those tribes providing less than 

12 months of crime data to the UCR are not included. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the FBI, Crime in the United 

States, 2008–2012.
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014 | July 2014 6

Table 3

American Indian tribes that received Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) awards, 2008–2014

State 2008 2009a 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Combined total

Total tribal awards

Total U.S. JAG allocation $149,309,209 $483,877,421 $456,954,707 $368,268,838 $295,580,175 $278,392,240 $290,928,252 $2,323,310,842 

Tribal percent of total JAG 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%

Combined total tribal awards $149,942 $559,125 $709,189 $632,281 $471,375 $404,317 $350,609 $3,276,838 

Mean $29,988 $27,956 $32,236 $27,490 $21,426 $19,253 $19,478 ~

Minimum individual award $10,288 $11,956 $12,699 $11,124 $11,139 $10,164 $10,406 ~

Maximum individual award $96,083 $73,131 $111,750 $91,922 $73,497 $78,223 $75,262 ~

Number of award-eligible tribes 5 20 22 23 22 21 18 131

Arizona

Fort Apache Tribe ~ ~ $29,761 $22,804 $11,225 $10,594 ~ $74,384 

Ft. Apache (White Mtn.) Tribe ~ $22,923 ~ ~ 11,139 ~ ~ 34,062 

Gila River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community $13,119 22,837 35,416 29,378 18,785 17,351 $12,994 149,880 

Hopi Tribe ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 10,164 16,619 26,783 

Hualapai Tribe ~ 11,956 15,273 13,285 11,139 11,367 10,752 73,772 

Navajo Nation 96,083 70,747 90,563 73,720 73,497 78,223 75,262 558,095 

San Carlos Apache Tribe ~ 23,267 26,583 22,051 ~ 71,901 

Tohono O’odham Tribe ~ 14,192 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 14,192 

California

Hoopa Valley Tribe ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $10,810 $12,241 $23,051 

Idaho

Coeur D’Alene Tribe ~ $18,028 $32,881 $27,179 $30,481 $23,964 $16,420 $148,953 

Minnesota

Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (Fond du Lac, 

Nett Lake/Bois Forte, White Earth) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $19,249 $19,249 

Red Lake Dept. of Conservation Tribal ~ ~ ~ $15,684 $18,418 $20,512 16,499 71,113 

Mississippi

Choctaw Law Enforcement Services ~ $27,439 $37,373 $35,657 $24,411 $16,209 $14,045 $155,134 

Montana

Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes ~ ~ ~ ~ $16,843 $11,938 ~ $28,781 

Blackfeet Tribal Law Enforcement ~ $73,131 $111,750 $91,922 39,578 16,215 ~ 332,596 

Chippewa-Cree Indians ~ ~ 19,188 15,784 11,720 11,683 $14,418 72,793 

Crow Tribe ~ ~ 13,066 ~ ~ ~ ~ 13,066 

Flathead Tribe ~ 20,500 19,737 16,235 11,592 11,555 ~ 79,619 

Northern Cheyenne Tribe ~ ~ 13,523 11,124 ~ ~ ~ 24,647 

Nebraska

Omaha Tribe of Nebraska ~ $25,699 $23,831 $19,496 $12,861 $10,275 ~ $92,162 

Winnebago Tribe ~ 13,513 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 13,513 

New Mexico

Mescalero Apache Tribe ~ $19,875 $25,754 $24,534 $18,515 $13,744 ~ $102,422 

Pueblo of Laguna ~ 17,939 12,699 11,205 ~ ~ $10,406 52,249 

North Dakota

Fort Berthold Tribe ~ $22,156 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ $22,156 

Fort Totten Tribe ~ 65,336 $28,371 $14,384 $12,471 $14,193 $11,201 145,956 

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe ~ ~ ~ 42,527 30,660 23,102 18,942 115,231 

Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 

Reservation ~ ~ 18,092 11,793 ~ ~ 17,006 46,891 

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians ~ 23,773 28,645 24,480 16,880 17,388 14,719 125,885 

Oregon

Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs 

Reservation $11,016 ~ ~ ~ $11,143 ~ ~ $22,159 

South Dakota

Cheyenne River Tribal Police Dept. $19,436 $21,024 $20,614 $16,460 $11,581 ~ ~ $89,115 

Oglala Sioux Tribeb ~ 22,108 28,827 26,697 26,719 $23,139 $14,102 141,592 

Rosebud Tribal Police Dept. ~ ~ 49,944 39,878 31,189 33,042 41,362 195,415 

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe 10,288 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 10,288 

Wyoming

Wind River ~ $22,682 $27,298 $26,004 $20,528 $18,849 $14,372 $129,733 

~Not applicable. Tribe did not meet the statutorial crime reporting requirements or did not meet the threshold for award.

aDoes not include 2009 Recovery Act funds.

bIncludes Ogala Sioux Tribe and Pine Ridge Sioux when both are eligible for a direct award.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics calculations using data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, 1991–2012, and the U.S. Census Bureau, 2007–2013.
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014 | July 2014 7

BJS has identified several limitations confronting tribal 

nations. Most tribes do not have the capabilities or requisite 

technologies to support the transmittal of records to the 

national systems, either through their own infrastructure or 

via the state. Additionally, many tribes have not yet converted 

their manual or other nonautomated records to electronic 

versions. Some entities are not yet submitting qualifying 

records to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) 

Protection Order File, and the FBI reports continued problems 

with the appropriate flagging of protection orders regarding 

the prohibition for firearm purchases.

National Instant Criminal Background Check System 

(NICS) Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP)

In 2014, BJS announced the continuation of the NARIP 

program. Federally recognized Indian tribal governments are 

eligible to apply. The NARIP program was enacted to address 

provisions of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 

2007 (NIAA). The NARIP helps states and tribal governments 

identify individuals prohibited by federal law from possessing 

firearms. 

NIAA provides that grants shall be made to each state or 

tribal government, consistent with plans for the integration, 

automation, and accessibility of criminal history records, 

for use by the court systems to improve automation and 

transmittal to federal and state repositories of 1) criminal 

history dispositions; 2) records relevant to determining 

whether a person has been convicted of a misdemeanor 

crime of domestic violence or whether a person is a subject 

of a prohibiting domestic violence protection order; and 

3) prohibiting mental health adjudications and commitments.

The NARIP program aims to improve the completeness, 

automation, and transmittal of records to federal and state 

systems used by NICS by addressing the information gap about 

prohibiting mental health adjudications, commitments, and 

other factors. Filling these information gaps will better enable 

the system to prevent persons prohibited by federal or state 

law from receiving or possessing firearms. The automation 

of records will also help reduce delays for law-abiding 

gun purchasers.

BJS Indian country justice statistics webpage

This webpage serves as a repository for information on and 

updates to BJS tribal data collections. The page provides 

links to the latest victimization, law enforcement, courts, 

corrections, and criminal justice data improvement 

information. Links to the FBI’s extract files of violent and 

property offenses known to tribal law enforcement by state 

from 2008 to 2012 are available on the BJS website.

Previously released reports

Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2013 (NCJ 242584)

Jails in Indian Country, 2012 (NCJ 242187)

Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2012 (NCJ 239077)

Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2011 (NCJ 234518)

Jails in Indian Country, 2011 (NCJ 238978)

Jails in Indian Country, 2010 (NCJ 236073)

Jails in Indian Country, 2009 (NCJ 232223)

Jails in Indian Country, 2008 (NCJ 228271)

Tribal Law Enforcement, 2008 (NCJ 234217)

Summary: Tribal Youth in the Federal Justice System (NCJ 234218)

State Prosecutors’ Offices with Jurisdiction in Indian Country, 2007

(NCJ 234241)

Jails in Indian Country, 2007 (NCJ 223760)

Improving Criminal History Records in Indian Country, 2004–2006

(NCJ 218913)

Jails in Indian Country, 2004 (NCJ 214257)

Jails in Indian Country, 2003 (NCJ 208597)

Census of Tribal Justice Agencies in Indian Country, 2002

(NCJ 205332)

American Indians and Crime (NCJ 203097)

Jails in Indian Country, 2002 (NCJ 198997)

Jails in Indian Country, 2001 (NCJ 193400)

Jails in Indian Country, 2000 (NCJ 188156)

Tribal Law Enforcement, 2000 (NCJ 197936)

Jails in Indian Country 1998–1999 (NCJ 173410)

American Indians and Crime (NCJ 173386)

BJS-sponsored research

Summary: Tribal Youth in the Federal Justice System, 1999–2008

(NCJ 234218), produced by the Urban Institute, May 2011
Office of Justice Programs

Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department 

of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for 

measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal offenders, 

victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of 

criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, 

and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates 

reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice systems in 

the United States, supports improvements to state and local 

criminal justice information systems, and participates with 

national and international organizations to develop and 

recommend national standards for justice statistics. William 

J. Sabol is acting director.

This report was written by Steven W. Perry. Alexia Cooper 

provided statistical review and verification of the report.

Vanessa Curto and Jill Thomas edited the report. Barbara 

Quinn produced the report.

July 2014, NCJ 246917