QUAPAW, Okla. – The Quapaw Tribe was one of 16 American Indian tribes selected to participate in a national crime information database.
The Tribal Access Program provides Tribal governments with the means to access, enter and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
“This will cut down on a lot of legwork,” said Charlie Addington, Quapaw Nation Chief Marshal.
The Quapaw Tribe will be able to register sex offenders, protect victims of domestic violence, prevent prohibited persons from obtaining firearms, and help locate missing people.
Addington said a kiosk will be installed in the Quapaw Marshal’s department.
“The kiosk will allow for us to take fingerprints and directly submit them to the FBI or the Department of Justice,” Addington said. “We will also have software on the department’s computers that can access these databases.”
The program will allow law enforcement officers to obtain information quickly, he said.
“Background checks for foster parents can take weeks – sometimes months,” Addington said.
With this program we can get the information instantly, he said.
The Department of Justice began the Tribal Access Program in 2015 in response to concerns raised by Tribal leaders about the need to have direct access to federal systems.
“The Department is committed to strengthening our government-to-government partnership with Tribal nations, including providing critical access to criminal databases through the Tribal Access Program,” said Lisa O. Monaco, Deputy Attorney General in a prepared statement.
With these additional Tribes, there are now 123 federally recognized Tribes participating in the program.
