WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs voted this past week to approve a bill to strengthen tribal public safety. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Sens. John Hoeven, R-ND, and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

The Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act would support the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers, bolster federal missing persons resources and give tribes and states greater tools to combat violence, according to a news release.

“Securing committee approval of our legislation is an important step toward strengthening the resources available to tribal law enforcement,” Hoeven said in the release. “Our bill authorizes the BIA to conduct its own background check of law enforcement applicants, which empowers tribes to meet their law enforcement staffing and infrastructure needs, enhances public safety and helps bring offenders to justice.”

Specifically, the BADGES for Native Communities Act would:

– Allow the BIA to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants in order to improve officer recruitment.

– Increase tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by requiring tribal facilitators to conduct ongoing tribal outreach and serve as a point of contact for tribes and law enforcement agencies, as well as conduct training and information gathering to improve the resolution of missing persons cases.

– Require a report on tribal law enforcement needs, including staffing, replacement and repairs for corrections facilities, infrastructure and capital for tribal police and court facilities, and emergency communication technology.

– Establish a grant program to support states, tribes, and tribal organizations in the coordination of efforts related to missing and murdered persons cases and sexual assault cases.

– Evaluate federal law enforcement evidence collection, handling and processing crucial to securing conviction of violent offenders.