The Justice Department has announced the selection of six federally recognized Tribes to join the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP). This program allows Tribal governments to access, enter, and exchange data with national crime information systems managed by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
This expansion comes after senior officials from the Justice Department visited Tribal Nations this year to discuss public safety issues with both Tribal and federal law enforcement and leaders. TAP now supports 154 Tribes and more than 460 Tribal government agencies.
“Criminals should have no doubt: Indian Country will not be a refuge for lawlessness,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Tribal Access Program gives Tribal law enforcement real-time access to crime data, arming them with the information necessary to identify criminals, track down predators, and deliver justice for victims. The Department stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Tribal officers to restore law and order to Indian Country, and those who target the vulnerable in Tribal communities will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly commented on the program’s significance for local communities. “The Department of Justice is committed to enhancing public safety for the Tribal communities in Colorado,” McNeilly said. “The Tribal Access Program is a resource the Southern Ute Tribe can leverage to serve and protect their nation’s citizens even more effectively.”
TAP provides participating Tribes with training, software, and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations that allow them to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information directly into FBI CJIS systems. Since its launch in 2015 as a response to concerns raised by Tribal leaders about access to federal systems, TAP has enabled Tribes to share information on missing persons; register convicted sex offenders; enter domestic violence protection orders; prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms; run criminal histories; arrest fugitives; record bookings and convictions; and conduct fingerprint-based background checks for non-criminal justice purposes.
The newly selected Tribes joining TAP are:
– Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas
– Cayuga Nation (New York)
– Duckwater Shoshone Tribe
– Pueblo of Zia
– Seneca-Cayuga Nation (Oklahoma)
– Southern Ute Indian Tribe
TAP is managed by the Justice Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer along with the Office of Tribal Justice. Funding comes from several offices including Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).
Further details about TAP can be found at www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
