Community Prosecution Strategy
This new strategy fulfills the commitment our office made to North Carolina's tribal leaders to deliver an operational plan designed to reflect a renewed commitment to public safety in Indian country.
Our work on the Community Prosecution Strategy was guided by the thoughtful discussions we
have had over the course of the past eight months, as well as by the recently enacted Tribal Law
& Order Act and the Justice Department's Indian Country Initiative.
The Community Prosecution Strategy begins with an overview of the Western District of North Carolina and describes our unprecedented level of engagement with members of tribal
communities and law enforcement leaders. It also includes a summary of the changes we are
making before setting out the details of the Community Prosecution Strategy and what it means
for tribal communities. Finally, we have also included some highlights from North Carolina's
Tribal Listening Conference which was held last February and which, in my view, was a great
success.
The Community Prosecution Strategy will not solve all of our law enforcement challenges in tribal communities, but it is my hope that it signals a new era of government to government relationships and a concerted effort to address public safety cooperatively.
The key
aspects of this strategy include:
• Additional Prosecutive Resources: We have a SAUSA, a member of the Tribal Prosecutor"s Office, who works closely with our office to handle cases arising in Indian country. Our hope is that this will enable us to prosecute more cases, more expeditiously.
• Violence Against Women: Our office will continue to prosecute cases involving
violence against women, and our Community Prosecution Strategy will outline some of
the new steps that will be implemented to ensure we remain vigilant and aggressive.
As always, I welcome your feedback on these changes and others described in greater detail in the Community Prosecution Strategy. I look forward to continuing our dialogue about
how we can improve law enforcement efforts in tribal communities.
Sincerely,
ANNE M. TOMPKINS
United States Attorney
