Numerous tribes in Western Washington have been awarded nearly $13 million to strengthen law enforcement and provide services for crime victims. The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and Quinault Indian Nation will receive some of the money.
The money comes from U.S. Department of Justice grants. One notable grant will fund a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to work with the FBI’s Northwestern Washington Safe Trails Task Force to prosecute crime in tribal communities. The $482,419 three-year grant was awarded to the Swinomish Tribal Community, though the attorney will prosecute cases for a consortium of tribes located in northwest Washington.
“These grants provide a wide range of services in our tribal communities – everything from services for crime victims, to sex offender monitoring, to reducing alcohol and drug related crime,” said U.S. Attorney Brian Moran. “It is a competitive process to obtain these grants, and I congratulate our tribal partners on their successful applications.”
The Confederated Tribes of Chehalis Reservation in Oakville were awarded $750,000 to strengthen their tribal justice system and $369,213 to support services for crime victims.
The Quinault Indian Nation at Taholah was awarded $480,187 to enhance victim services.
The Lummi Indian Nation in Bellingham was awarded four grants totaling $2.5 million. The funded programs include: $748,608 to enhance tribal justice programs and reduce Alcohol and substance abuse related crime; $720,000 to support crime victims; $374,994 to support programs to reduce elder abuse; and $720,000 to hire a tribal attorney and advocate to assist crime victims with civil litigation.
The Swinomish Tribal Community in La Conner was awarded four grants totaling $1.4 million. In addition to the $482,419 for a designated attorney, the Tribe was awarded two additional grants totaling $802,205 to support services for crime victims. An additional grant of $134,267 will pay for personnel to enter 10 years of historical data into the nationwide National Criminal Background Check System.
The Hoh Indian Tribe in Forks was awarded $514,778 to expand victim services with a special focus on educating the community on human trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
