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, including those maintained by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
The expansion comes after senior Justice Department officials visited Tribal Nations this year to meet with Tribal and federal law enforcement and Tribal leaders about public safety issues in their communities.
“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.”
With these additions, TAP now supports 154 Tribes and more than 460 Tribal government agencies.
“The Department of Justice is committed to enhancing public safety for the Tribal communities in Colorado,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “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 training as well as technology such as software and biometric/biographic kiosks that enable fingerprint processing, mugshot capture, and submission of information to FBI systems.
Launched in 2015 in response to requests from Tribal leaders seeking direct access to federal systems, TAP has enabled Tribes to share details about missing persons; register convicted sex offenders; enter domestic violence protection orders for nationwide enforcement; prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms; check criminal histories; identify fugitives; record bookings and convictions; and perform fingerprint-based background checks for positions involving children or other vulnerable populations.
The newly selected Tribes 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 Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Tribal Justice at the Justice Department. Funding comes from several sources within the department focused on offender tracking, community policing services, victim support, and violence prevention.
More information about TAP can be found at www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
