§2810 Assistant United States Attorney tribal liaisons

Summary

Each U.S. Attorney in a district that includes Indian country must pick at least one assistant U.S. Attorney to be a tribal liaison. The tribal liaison coordinates federal prosecutions in Indian country; builds teams to fight child abuse and domestic and sexual violence; works with tribal justice officials and victim advocates to address any backlog of major cases; keeps communication and shares appropriate information with tribal leaders and tribal justice officials; coordinates with tribal prosecutors when both governments can charge a crime, before any time limit for charging runs out; gives technical help and training on evidence and on protecting victims and witnesses; runs training to certify special law enforcement commissions; works with the Office of Tribal Justice when needed; and does other work the U.S. Attorney thinks will help prevent violent crime in Indian country. U.S. Attorneys may also appoint Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys under 28 U.S.C. 543(a) to prosecute crimes in Indian country when needed, especially if local crime or declination rates are higher than the national average. They should work with courts to schedule and hold proceedings in Indian country, provide training and support to those Special Assistants, help tribal governments and courts, and are encouraged to consult the affected tribes when making such appointments.