Secretary of the Interior Walter J. Hickel has announced the publication, in the Federal Register, of a list of 83 Indian tribes which conduct their own local law enforcement and are therefore eligible for assistance under the I Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
"These are the tribes which have clear-cut jurisdiction over law and order on their reservations," Hickel said, "and this publication makes it possible for them to make timely applications for Federal assistance in improving local crime control."
A section of the new crime control law (Public Law 90- 351) requires the Secretary of the Interior to determine which tribes are eligible £or assistance, he said.
"Improved law and order must be a part of the new atmosphere of growth and improvement that Indian communities seek for themselves," Hickel said, "and I am confident that many reservations will take advantage of this new law to provide themselves with the tools and knowledge to do the job."
Additional tribes may become eligible to take over law and order responsibilities, Hickel said.
