By LISA SNELL
Editor
MISSION – It’s something uncomfortable to talk about, to hear about, or even believe is happening in your community, but a report on the history of sexual assault crimes happening on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) was delivered to tribal members’ homes and tribal offices in early May.
“Learning the number of victims on the Umatilla Reservation is alarming because it’s something we don’t talk about and we don’t hear about,” said Corinne Sams, CTUIR Board of Trustees Member at Large and Law and Order Committee member.
The report, published and distributed by the CTUIR’s Family Violence Services program, is the culmination of nearly four years of surveys, community outreach and research led by the program’s manager, Desiree Coyote, and Diane Gout, of Gray O.A.K., LLC., a Native-woman owned research and evaluation company specializing in the field of violence against women with an emphasis on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. One of the report’s key findings was “a pervasive culture of silence and normalization around sexual violence, significant barriers to reporting and accessing services, and a profound mistrust in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.”
“As you can see in the report, a lot of people, especially the older people, said that this happened when they were kids and nobody wanted to address it. It’s happening today and still no one wants to address it in a meaningful way for our community,” Coyote said.
The report summarizes the results of three surveys with a combined return of 228 responses and comments gathered in community interviews and focus groups that garnered 31 participants – 18 of whom were CTUIR members.
“It’s a terribly underreported crime, not just here, but everywhere,” said Tony Barnett, lead criminal investigator for the Umatilla Tribal Police Department. “I think it’s an underreported crime for a host of reasons, many of which are identified in this [report] and a lot of it comes from this feeling of not being believed.”
There is also perhaps a sense of not feeling supported, Sams said. “I think oftentimes victims are silenced, not because they don’t want to speak out, but they’ve seen others who have and there wasn’t a whole lot of support. That lack of support creates issues within a community that are unfavorable.”
Tribal officials say there are victim resources available and steps are being taken to improve services and access. According to Sams, an external assessment was done on the UTPD in 2021 and a follow up review is currently in progress. That review is expected to conclude at the end of the year.
“Hopefully we can rewrite policy in a way that benefits our community and tribal membership so that they feel like they do have a voice… hopefully we can start to fill those gaps within services and within communication, because there’s definitely been a breakdown according to the survey that was done,” Sams said.
UTPD Chief Tim Addleman said his department follows the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which is where officers get their certifications in Oregon, adding that there are new trainings required every year like crisis intervention and equity and inclusion.
“We front load a little bit of training the first month they are here and then they go to the academy for 16 weeks. When they come back, they complete a 12-week field training program,” Addleman said.*
In addition to training, officers also wear body cameras which the force acquired in 2020. All patrol officers and investigators are required to wear them. “For the last four years now, everything’s been on body camera and it’s been nothing but beneficial,” Barnett said. “We have the ability to be even that much more transparent now.”
Sams stresses that tribal leaders want the reservation to be safe from predators, saying the CTUIR was one of the first tribes to implement the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and tribal court can now prosecute non-Indians for those crimes.
“Jurisdictional issues are imperative,” she said. “The message we want to send is that if you commit crimes on the reservation, you will be held accountable.”
UTPD maintains and manages a sex offender registry available online at https://ctuir.nsopw.gov/SearchOffender.aspx. A nationwide registry is available at www.nsopw.gov.
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, there are resources available within the CTUIR and the surrounding community. For assistance, you may call CTUIR Family Violence Services’ confidential 24-hour hotline at 541-240-4171. For medical care, CHI St. Anthony’s hospital in Pendleton has three sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), one of whom is certified to perform pediatric exams. Help is also available in nearby Hermiston at Good Shepard Medical Center which has seven SANEs on staff.
For most adults, reporting to law enforcement is their prerogative. Evidence will numbered, bagged and labeled for identification and storage. Evidence will be stored with the Oregon State Police crime lab for up to 60 years and available should a victim decide to report the assault.
For more information, Family Violence Services is hosting a tribal, state and federal summit July 9 -11 at Wildhorse Resort & Casino. The discussions will cover various aspects of addressing intimate partner violence and what trauma-informed services are and how to use them.
The CUJ will be continuing coverage on this issue and the findings published in sexual assault report. If you have input or information to share, call Lisa Snell at 541-429-7399 or email lisasnell@ctuir.org.
*Copy has been updated to correct an automated interview transcription error. The print version of this article erroneously misquoted Umatilla Tribal Police Chief Tim Addleman in the 11th paragraph. Tribal police train for 16 weeks at the academy, not six.
