Bills address missing, murdered Indigenous people in Wyoming
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Information on missing or murdered Indigenous people in Wyoming could improve under legislation that would better manage missing persons reports and potentially coordinate work between multiple jurisdictions.
Law enforcement agencies will be required to report missing persons and include their biographical information under a bill signed by Gov. Mark Gordon on Monday, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. The state will then compile an annual report on the number of missing people in Wyoming.
The state would also help its two tribes implement their own Amber Alert system, require state officials to provide training on crimes involving missing and murdered indigenous people and mandate cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
Another bill that would coordinate reporting and investigative efforts between jurisdictions operating in and around tribal land is scheduled to be signed Tuesday.
"This bill ... is going to address better data collection and jurisdictional issues," Democratic state Rep. Andi Clifford said. "There's still a lot of work to do ... (but) there's momentum. I just don't want to lose this momentum."
Both proposals cleared the state Legislature last week and have received support from tribal leaders.
"For the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho, we all have our stories," said Clifford, who is also an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. "This is a step in the right direction. A lot more should be done."
