The United States Attorney for each district that includes Indian country shall appoint not less than 1 assistant United States Attorney to serve as a tribal liaison for the district.
The duties of a tribal liaison shall include the following:
(1) Coordinating the prosecution of Federal crimes that occur in Indian country.
(2) Developing multidisciplinary teams to combat child abuse and domestic and sexual violence offenses against Indians.
(3) Consulting and coordinating with tribal justice officials and victims' advocates to address any backlog in the prosecution of major crimes in Indian country in the district.
(4) Developing working relationships and maintaining communication with tribal leaders, tribal community and victims' advocates, and tribal justice officials to gather information from, and share appropriate information with, tribal justice officials.
(5) Coordinating with tribal prosecutors in cases in which a tribal government has concurrent jurisdiction over an alleged crime, in advance of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitation.
(6) Providing technical assistance and training regarding evidence gathering techniques and strategies to address victim and witness protection to tribal justice officials and other individuals and entities that are instrumental to responding to Indian country crimes.
(7) Conducting training sessions and seminars to certify special law enforcement commissions to tribal justice officials and other individuals and entities responsible for responding to Indian country crimes.
(8) Coordinating with the Office of Tribal Justice, as necessary.
(9) Conducting such other activities to address and prevent violent crime in Indian country as the applicable United States Attorney determines to be appropriate.
Nothing in this section limits the authority of any United States Attorney to determine the duties of a tribal liaison officer to meet the needs of the Indian tribes located within the relevant Federal district.
Each United States Attorney serving a district that includes Indian country is authorized and encouraged—
(A) to appoint Special Assistant United States Attorneys pursuant to section 543(a) of title 28 to prosecute crimes in Indian country as necessary to improve the administration of justice, and particularly when—
(i) the crime rate exceeds the national average crime rate; or
(ii) the rate at which criminal offenses are declined to be prosecuted exceeds the national average declination rate;
(B) to coordinate with applicable United States district courts regarding scheduling of Indian country matters and holding trials or other proceedings in Indian country, as appropriate;
(C) to provide to appointed Special Assistant United States Attorneys appropriate training, supervision, and staff support; and
(D) to provide technical and other assistance to tribal governments and tribal court systems to ensure that the goals of this subsection are achieved.
It is the sense of Congress that, in appointing Special Assistant United States Attorneys under this subsection, a United States Attorney should consult with tribal justice officials of each Indian tribe that would be affected by the appointment.
(Pub. L. 101–379, §13, as added Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §213(b)(1), July 29, 2010, 124 Stat. 2268.)
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Last modified: October 26, 2015