Feds Gives 10 Tribes Access to National Criminal Databases
SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has named 10 American Indian tribes that will take part in the first phase of a program giving tribes more access to national criminal databases.
A deadly school shooting in Washington state last year showed flaws in the way federal authorities and tribal governments share information and the need to improve communication. A member of the Tulalip Tribe was allowed to buy a gun that was later used by his son to kill four classmates and himself at a high school.
A domestic violence protection order issued by a tribal court in 2001 should have stopped the father from buying guns. The 10 tribes announced Thursday are in Washington, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Arizona and Idaho.