YAKIMA, Wash.-The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation have been awarded over a million dollars in grant funds to address gang and cartel crime.
The $1,028,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants program will be used to fight gang and cartel-related drug activity and violent crime on the Yakama Reservation, according to a press release on the grant from the Justice Department.
“The strong partnerships we have with the leaders of the Yakama Nation are critical to our shared mission of addressing the root causes of the MMIP crisis, which include combatting illegal narcotics and reducing violent crime,” said Vanessa Waldref, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington in announcing the grant.
The Yakama Nation Public Safety Department (YNPD) will use the funding to add up to four officers to the local county and Federal Drug Task Forces, purchase equipment, provide detention space, and provide essential investigative resources, according to a press release on the grant.
