The Makah and Hoh tribes have received grants from the U.S. Department of Justice for crime prevention and intervention programs, it was announced Wednesday.
The Makah tribe received $1,645,660 for equipment and training for an anti-methamphetamine program and renovation of the tribal detention center.
The Hoh Tribal Business Committee received $949,201 for a youth program and a domestic violence program.
Over $11 million
The grants are among more than $11 million given to 10 tribes in Western Washington.
U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan announced that the Justice Department grants will go toward eight specific areas: methamphetamine enforcement, alcohol and substance abuse, Corrections and correctional alternatives, violence against women, elder abuse, juvenile justice and tribal youth programs.
Durkan said the money will go toward better training and equipment.
Other grants were given to Confederated Tribes of Chehalis, Lummi Nation, Nisqually tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe, Puyallup Tribal Council, Skokomish Indian tribe, Squaxin Island tribe and Tulalip tribes.
Nationwide, the Justice Department announced grants of $118.4 million to nearly 150 Native American and Alaskan Native nations.
The grants were awarded under a new streamlined system and are intended to help tribes deal with soaring crime rates and issues of justice and enforcement, said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli at the Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Ignacio.
Violent crime rates on Native reservations are more than twice the national rate, and there is an epidemic of domestic and sexual violence in Indian Country, along with high instances of child abuse, teen suicide and substance abuse, according to the federal government.
Federal officials have also said there is a proliferation of gang activity on reservations, and yet law enforcement recruitment and retention efforts across Indian Country lag far behind the rest of the nation.
The new system for awarding grants, the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, was developed last year after tribal leaders complained the Justice Department’s process was too cumbersome.
