Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales Meets With Tribal Leaders and Announces New Funding for Tribal Communities In Michigan

PRNewswire 8.14.07

Attorney General Gonzales Meets With Tribal Leaders & Announces New Funding for Tribal Communities In Michigan

WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today visited with Michigan's tribal leaders to discuss the importance of a sustained commitment to cooperation among tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies. At an event hosted by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, the Attorney General participated in a roundtable discussion that focused on the challenges each tribe faces, their law enforcement successes, and identifying ways that the Justice Department can better assist tribes in enforcing the law.

In addition, the Attorney General announced new Department of Justice grant awards totaling more than $3 million while meeting with tribal leaders to underscore the Department's commitment to fighting crime in tribal regions. The awards, administered through the Department's Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), will primarily be used for crime prevention efforts, increased resources for law enforcement, and improvements to victim assistance services in tribal regions in Michigan ...

The awards announced today include more than $2 million in grants from OVW ...

New COPS grants announced today totaled more than $500,000, and were part of the office's Tribal Resource Grants Program ...

OJP grants totaling more than $435,000 will go to the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Hannahville Indian Community to support the development, implementation, enhancement, and continuing operation of tribal courts; and to the Bay Mills Indian Community and Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for improving the ability of these communities to provide direct services to victims of violent crimes ...

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice