FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Wednesday, February 7, 2018

CONTACT:  Sara Rabern (605) 773-3215 

PIERRE, S.D. - Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the State of South Dakota has entered into a joint powers agreement with the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe to work together to effectively enforce the drug laws of the State of South Dakota, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation and the United States with the goal of significantly diminishing the manufacture, availability, use, sale and distribution of illegal drugs in South Dakota. 

“This joint powers agreement is an essential step towards making South Dakota a safer place to live and to better protect tribal and non-tribal members across the State.” said Jackley. “I want to personally thank our tribal partners in this cooperative effort to better protect all of our communities from drug abuse.”  

“The presence of illegal drugs and trafficking in our community poses an imminent and serious threat to the health, safety and welfare of our people and community which encompasses all of Northeast South Dakota. The Joint Powers Agreement is a great example of government-to-government efforts to address the drug problem that plagues our communities and nations. We view this opportunity as an exercise of our inherent sovereignty as a treaty tribe and to protect the political integrity, economic security and the health and welfare of our people and the entire community and look forward to this opportunity,” said Dave Flute, Chairman Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe. 

This agreement will allow the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe and the State of South Dakota to conduct coordinated drug enforcement efforts to help maximize law enforcement resources and to facilitate the flow of drug related intelligence information between law enforcement agencies. 

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