Gallego sponsors BADGES Act to improve tribal law enforcement
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego is one of the sponsors of the BADGES Act. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror Several U.S. House representatives introduced the Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act , a bipartisan bill that hopes to strengthen tribal law enforcement and increase public safety across Indian Country.
“For years, the federal government has failed to provide tribal communities the resources needed to adequately ensure public safety and properly support Tribal law enforcement agencies,” Rep. Ruben Gallego said in a press release .
This bill is expected to change that by addressing the federal inefficiencies that impact the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ law enforcement recruitment and retention. The proposal aims to increase the effectiveness of federal missing persons resources and give resources to tribes and states to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
“Increasing coordination between federal, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies will improve public safety in tribal communities and help address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples,” said Rep. Sharice Davids, a co-sponsor of the bill and the co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus.
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The act has two main provisions: bridging agency data gaps and ensuring safety for Native communities.
To help bridge agency data gaps, the bill would establish one or more National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Tribal facilitators that the attorney general will appoint.“Our people deserve improved law enforcement coordination when reporting their loved […]