NCJ Number
225700
Date Published
February 2003
Length
60 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the proceedings of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association's (NNALEA's) Tribal Lands Homeland Security Summit.
Abstract
The main purpose of the summit was to bring together a wide variety of interested parties who would define the nature of the homeland security threat on tribal lands and discuss the level of preparedness required to meet the threat now and in the future. Just over 400 representatives of Indian tribal governments, Federal agencies, State governments, and private industry identified the challenges facing tribal lands, including potential security vulnerability, funding restrictions, training needs, communication challenges, and jurisdictional concerns. The primary vulnerabilities on tribal lands were identified as the border and port security; critical infrastructure located on tribal lands (dams, water impoundments and reservoirs, electrical generation plans, drinking water, and waste systems); non-integrated law enforcement and lack of jurisdictional clarity; and minimal emergency response capability and medical capacity, planning, and implementation. The summit's vision for homeland security on tribal lands includes a locally organized effort, dual-use equipment and services, complementary services funding, adjacent jurisdictional partnerships, special operations training, and "outside-the-box" thinking about homeland security possibilities. In these efforts, NNALEA pledged to distribute and update the NNALEA Homeland Security Assessment Model, continue to provide a forum for the discussion of tribal homeland security, lead in the development of a strategic homeland security defense plan for tribal lands, and continue to promote partnerships that facilitate Indian tribes' role in the national homeland defense strategy. The appendix contains the National Homeland Security Strategy and Objectives, Homeland Security Summit recommendations, and an outline for conducting an initial community homeland security assessment.