Police Crime Priorities and Focus
How do police priorities and focus match with respondent perceptions of the most serious
law-and-order issues? Two questions about tribal police priorities, and the focus of federal-BIA
and state/county police activities were asked of respondents. The open-ended questions provide
insight into the primary police activities and emphasis. Responses report patterns of police
priority or focus, and allow comparison with findings about the most serious law-and-order
issues, largely drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence.
A total of 275 respondents answered the questions: What are the priorities for tribal law
enforcement? What do they focus on? Respondents gave answers similar to those provided in
response to questions about the most serious law-and-order problems,
giving often interrelated
lists of crimes or issues they believed the police focus on. While all groups — reservation
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This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
residents, law enforcement personnel, and criminal justice personnel — for both Public Law 280
and non-Public Law 280 jurisdictions — gave responses,
the number of respondents for Public
Law 280 law enforcement personnel (n=5), Public Law 280 criminal justice personnel (n=4), and
non-Public Law 280 law enforcement personnel (n=11) are small and don’t allow for a
comprehensive statistical analysis such as a 2X3 ANOVA. We can isolate the responses that
conform directly to the most serious law-and-order issues of drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and
domestic violence. If a respondent mentions one or more of the most serious law-and-order
problems as a tribal police priority, then we say that the tribal police are in conformity with, or
are addressing, respondent law and order needs. If a respondent does not mention one or more of
the most serious law-and-order issues as a tribal police priority, then the respondent does not
believe the tribal police is addressing directly the most serious law-and-order problems.
Among 275 respondents, 101 (36.7%) do not say that drug offenses, alcohol abuse, or
domestic violence are priorities for tribal police. Most respondents (174 or 63.3%) say that tribal
police are focusing on drug offenses, alcohol abuse, or domestic violence, as well as other, often
related, issues or crimes. For example, a respondent says tribal police give priority to assaults,
drug use, alcohol abuse issues, domestic violence, as well as healing and cooperation among
social service agencies and police. Many respondents believe that drug offenses, alcohol abuse
and domestic violence are core issues, and other issues, such as assaults, child abuse and neglect,
and property theft are related, or attendant, issues.
The 36.7% of respondents who do not see tribal police focus on drug offenses, domestic
violence, and alcohol abuse, provide alternative interpretations of tribal police priorities. Thirtysix (13.1%) of the alternative interpretations concentrate on community policing, safety, and
protection as the most important tribal police focus. Arrests, patrolling, traffic, and responding to
calls account for 22 (8%) respondent reports. Most respondents say that tribal police are
performing too narrowly when they concentrate on arrests, patrolling, traffic, and responding to
calls. The tribal police are seen as reactive, not engaged, and too narrowly focused on
apprehensions when they concentrate on the more technical aspects of tribal police work. Most
respondents prefer the community approach to tribal policing. Sixteen respondents (5.8%) could
not or would not answer the question.
How do respondents see tribal police priorities by groups and jurisdiction? Since the data
are spare for several groups, we do not have an overall statistical test, but we can observe trends
and use any statistical comparisons the data will allow. Most non-Public Law 280 law
enforcement personnel say tribal police concentrate on drug offenses, alcohol abuse, or domestic
violence (81.8%, N=11).
There are only 5 Public Law 280 law enforcement respondents, and 3
(60%) say tribal police focus on the major law-and-order issues for tribal communities — drug
offenses, alcohol abuse, or domestic violence. Only 4 Public Law 280 criminal justice personnel
answered the question, and 1 (25%) agrees that tribal police focus on one or more of the most
serious law-and-order issues. Non-Public Law 280 criminal justice personnel provided 24
responses, and 21 (87.5%) say that tribal police give priority to one or more of the three most
serious law-and-order issues.
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This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Among 57 non-Public Law 280 reservation-resident respondents, 25, or 43.9%, say tribal
police focus on drug offenses, alcohol abuse, or domestic violence. Five non-Public Law 280
reservation residents (8.8%) say that community service and protection is the primary priority for
tribal police. Sixteen, or 28%, non-Public Law 280 reservation residents say tribal police
concentrate on the relatively unpopular police activities of arrest, traffic, patrolling, and
responding to calls. Twenty-eight of 87 Public Law 280 reservation residents (32.2%) say tribal
police focus on the most serious law-and-order issues of drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and
domestic violence. Among Public Law 280 reservation residents, 21 (24.1%) say the primary
focus of tribal police is community policing, service, and protection. Five Public Law 280
reservation residents (5.7%) say Public Law 280 tribal police concentrate on arrests, patrolling,
traffic, or response to calls. Ten Public Law 280 reservation residents (11.5%) say they could not
answer the question, or there are no Public Law 280 tribal police priorities.
Except for a small Public Law 280 criminal justice sample, law enforcement and nonPublic Law 280 reservation residents perceive that tribal police focus mostly on the three most
serious law-and-order issues of drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence. Most
reservation residents have a different perception of tribal police in Public Law 280 and nonPublic Law 280 jurisdictions where tribal police focus less directly on drug offenses, alcohol
abuse and domestic violence. In particular, Public Law 280 reservation residents say that Public
Law 280 tribal police concentrate more often on community policing, service, and protection
than any other group. Reservation residents have more diverse perceptions of tribal police
priorities, including community policing, than law enforcement personnel and non-Public Law
280 criminal justice personnel who perceive tribal police priorities as addressing directly the
most serious reservation law-and-order issues. Criminal justice personnel and law enforcement
personnel report little awareness of community policing by tribal police reported by Public Law
280 reservation residents. Most tribal police in Public Law 280 jurisdictions do not enforce
tribal criminal law. Sometimes Public Law 280 tribal police are cross-deputized to make arrests
under state/county law. Most Public Law 280 tribal police functions relate to civil enforcement,
or sometimes natural-resource protection.
Fifty-one respondents reported about the focus of federal-BIA police in non-Public Law
280 jurisdictions, and 34 respondents (66.7%) say than federal-BIA police focus on one or more
of the three most serious reservation law-and-order issues —
drug offenses, alcohol abuse, and
domestic violence. Non-Public Law 280 law enforcement personnel (N=6) and non-Public Law
280 criminal justice personnel (N=11) say federal-BIA police focus on the most serious law-andorder problems 100% of the time, but the number of respondents is low, and, therefore,
unreliable. Seventeen of 40 non-Public Law 280 reservation residents (42.5%) say that federalBIA police focus on drug offenses, alcohol abuse, or domestic violence. Nine non-Public Law
280 reservation residents (22.5%) say federal-BIA police focus on traffic, responding to calls,
patrolling, and arrests. All the latter activities are often regarded as reactive policing and are
generally not popular among reservation residents. Seven non-Public Law 280 respondents
(17.5%) say they cannot answer the question. Only 1 non-Public Law 280 reservation resident
305
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.
This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
respondent (2.5%) says that federal-BIA police focus on community policing. The data are
limited, but suggest that reservation residents have very different perspectives about federal-BIA
police focus than criminal justice personnel and law enforcement personnel. Non-Public Law
280 reservation residents see federal-BIA police underfocused on the most serious law-and-order
problems, and not engaged in community based policing.
Respondents in Public Law 280 jurisdictions were asked to describe the focus of county
and/or state police on their reservations, and 209 provided comments. Seventy-four Public Law
280 respondents (35.4%) say that county police focus on drug offenses, alcohol abuse, or
domestic violence — the three most serious law-and-order problems on reservations. Eleven
Public Law 280 law enforcement personnel (52.4%) self-report that county police focus on the
most serious law-and-order problems, while 23 criminal justice personnel (54.8%) say the same.
Forty Public Law 280 reservation residents (27.4%), however, report that county police focus on
the serious law-and-order issues of drug offenses, alcohol abuse,
or domestic violence. Fortynine Public Law 280 reservation residents (33.6%) say that county police focus on arrests,
patrolling, responding to calls, or traffic. Twenty-six Public Law 280 reservation residents
(17.8%) report that county police do not have a clear or consistent focus, or they are not
cooperating with the tribal government or reservation community. More than 50% of Public
Law 280 reservation residents say that county police use reactive policing methods, do not have
good focus, or are not cooperative. Eleven respondents (7.5%) say county police engage in and
focus on community policing, relations, and safety. Most Public Law 280 reservation-resident
respondents do not believe that county police are properly focused in their work on Indian
reservations.
