FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Wednesday, August 8, 2012
CONTACT: Sara Rabern, (605) 773-3215
State and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Unite on Sex Offender Registry
PIERRE, S.D - Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the State of South Dakota has entered into a joint powers agreement with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) to become a registered entity of the Sex Offender Registry Notification Act (SORNA). Currently, the CRST maintains its own sex offender registry of offenders who reside, work or attend school within the boundaries of the reservation. This agreement will allow the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to maintain its own offender registry and have its sex offender’s data submitted electronically for inclusion into the South Dakota Sex Offender Registry.
“The State of South Dakota and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe are one of the first in the nation to create such agreement between state and tribal authorities,” said Jackley. “Sex offender registries were created to protect our children and communities and this agreement allows both state and tribal law enforcement to implement and enforce the registry in order to protect tribal and non-tribal members across South Dakota.”
The Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Kevin C. Keckler noted that the Tribe has always worked to protect all reservation residents: “Protecting our children, communities and those who reside within or visit the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation is of critical importance. By working together with South Dakota the Tribe has substantially implemented the federal requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act called SORNA.”
South Dakota’s Sex Offender Registry was the fourth state in the nation to become certified. To be certified the State must substantially implement the provision of SORNA. To date, South Dakota is only one of fifteen states whose registries have met the national SORNA certification requirements. At this time there are 2,988 sex offenders who reside in South Dakota. Law enforcement officials work diligently to keep these individuals registered. Currently are 42 sex offenders who are not registered and giving rise to a non-complaint rate of just 1.4%.
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