WHEREAS, Tribal Law Enforcement agencies play an integral role in securing the safety and security of all persons in the United States, and

WHEREAS, the inclusion of Indian Country in the development of national law enforcement policy is essential to building trust and cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the interest of protecting the public;

WHEREAS, Tribal Governments control over 260 miles of international borders, which necessitates access to automated information systems within the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), and

WHEREAS, the 2010 Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA), a key piece of legislation, addresses some aspects of these issues at the Federal level, and the Tribal Information Sharing Working Group (TISWG) is working to explain why qualified tribal criminal justice agencies from Federally recognized tribes should be equal partners in a national policy of law enforcement information sharing, and

WHEREAS, a national information sharing policy that is not informed by the needs and concerns of Tribal Law Enforcement jeopardizes public and officer safety and is not in the best interest of protecting the homeland security of the United States, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the IACP Indian Country Section endorse the recommendations of the Tribal Information Sharing Working Group in their efforts to promote justice in protection of all peoples in the United States. Specifically, that the following recommendations be enacted:

        a. Federal and state information sharing entities are encouraged to fully engage with law enforcement entities in Indian Country in their areas of responsibility.

       b. National-level information sharing policies should include specific procedures, tools, and information standards that tribal authorities can use to ensure responsible information sharing between Indian Country and the federal government.

       c. Police Officer Standards and Training (POST)-certified or equivalently trained tribal law enforcement officers should be recognized by federal and state law as peace officers within their respective states with the same right of access to systems, processes, training, communications infrastructure, and organizations as other peace officers and law enforcement agencies.

Submitted by: Indian Country Section

IND.017.t13