DOJ Now Has Criminal Jurisdiction On Mille Lacs Reservation
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The United States Federal Government will now assume criminal jurisdiction over the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's reservation in central Minnesota, according to the Department of Justice.
The Mille Lacs Reservation becomes only the second in the U.S. to have had their request for concurrent jurisdiction granted by the DOJ -- the first being the White Earth Reservation in northeastern Minnesota.
Jurisdiction will be held alongside that of the reservation's own tribal police, the Minnesota State Patrol and state prosecutors, and the offices of the Mille Lacs County sheriff and attorney.
The 2010 Tribal Law and Order Act gave the DOJ the ability to accept requests by Native American groups for assistance with criminal justice.
The DOJ now has jurisdiction to prosecute in criminal cases such as murder, rape, felony assault and felony child abuse.
The department could previously only be involved if crimes such as drug trafficking occurred on the Mille Lacs Reservation.