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By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press Writer


      ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Federal and tribal officials hope a new
law aimed at improving the judicial landscape in Indian Country
will help them combat "disturbing" crime statistics involving
American Indian women.


      According to federal data, one in three Indian women will be
raped in their lifetimes, while two-fifths will suffer from
domestic violence. The chance an Indian woman will be the victim of
a violent crime is three and a half times greater than the national
average, the recent data shows.


      "The statistics in Indian Country regarding violence against
women are disturbing to say the least. It's incumbent upon us to
take appropriate action," said Wizipan Garriott, policy adviser to
Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk.


      Many point to these figures as the impetus for the Tribal Law
and Order Act, a broad new federal law aimed at combating crime on
reservations.


      About 150 judges, tribal leaders and law enforcement officials
met Tuesday and Wednesday in Albuquerque for a national symposium
on implementing the law, signed by President Barack Obama in July.


      The act requires federal and tribal officers serving Indian
Country to be trained in interviewing sexual assault victims and
collecting evidence at crime scenes. It also requires the Indian
Health Service to establish a nationwide protocol for helping
sexual assault victims.


      While it will take time to fully implement all the provisions in
the act, Garriott said improving the way federal and tribal
agencies go about their daily work will make things better. For
instance, he said, if data shows domestic violence calls are on the
rise, agencies will look at how they can better train officers to
respond.


      Coordination with U.S. attorneys that cover Indian County will
also help ensure crimes against women are prosecuted, he said.


      Supporters of the law say it will untie officers' hands in some
cases by allowing them to make warrantless arrests.


      "If you see the evidence, the bruising or a facial expression -
even with just a facial expression you can tell something happened
- that probable cause will allow the police officer to make that
arrest and stop the violence. Even if it's for a short period of
time, it will help," said Francine Bradley-Arthur, who served 20
years as a Navajo Nation police officer and often saw the effects
of domestic violence.


      Sarah Deer, an assistant law professor and member of the
Muscogee Creek Nation, was among the dozens of people who helped
develop the Tribal Law and Order Act. She said she's particularly
hopeful the IHS will commit to training staff and having rape exam
kits available at all of its facilities.


      About 30 percent of IHS facilities don't have policies in place
for dealing with sexual assault cases, according to federal
figures.


      Deer acknowledged that not all women will report sexual assaults
or want a forensic exam, but she said they should have the option.


      "It's a protocol that's been used in mainstream America for
going on 30 years, and it just has been denied to Native women,"
she said. "We're just asking - and hoping - that we can raise the
standard for Native women equal to the expectations of mainstream
America."


      Deer and others said the law is not a quick fix for the crime
problem in Indian Country, but it will provide the framework for
taking incremental steps forward.


      "There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Bradley-Arthur
said.

Gallery

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Crime, Law and Justice

Social Issues

Federal and tribal officials hope a new
law aimed at improving the judicial landscape in Indian Country
will help them combat "disturbing" crime statistics involving
American Indian women.

Federal law takes on crimes against Indian women

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