LINCOLN — Nebraska is stepping up to address missing and murdered Indigenous persons with a dedicated liaison in the Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Mike Hilgers last Tuesday announced that Grace Johnson, an enrolled member of the Oglala-Lakota tribe, will serve in the inaugural role. The Legislature in the spring funded the position to improve investigations and reporting for missing and murdered Indigenous persons.

Under the supervision and direction of the bureau chief of the AG’s Criminal Bureau, Johnson will coordinate with local, state, tribal and federal governments in her reporting and investigating.

Johnson, a 2014 graduate of Bellevue University with a master’s degree in clinical counseling, previously served as an advisory board member for Community Action as part of the Honoring Indigenous Families Grant. She’s also held positions with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition Board.

In addition, Johnson worked in 2022 as a mental health therapist for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She previously served as director of the Behavior Health Department for the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates there are approximately 4,200 missing and murdered cases nationally that have gone unsolved.

A 2018 report by the Urban Indian Health Institute surveying data across 71 cities in 29 states, Nebraska ranked seventh based on its number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Omaha ranked eighth among cities.

University of Nebraska at Omaha researchers, in a 2022 report, urged culturally sensitive research and offered recommendations for improving access to justice. They noted that social conditions — including endemic poverty, high rates of domestic or substance abuse and relatively high crime rates — contribute to higher rates of missing Native persons.

State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln led legislation in the spring to create a distinct office for the liaison with the help of Judi gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. The Legislature opted instead to fund the full-time specialist within the Attorney General’s Office.

Raybould said at a February hearing for her Legislative Bill 328 that at least six other states — Arizona, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington — have designated a person, specialist or office.

“This liaison in the Office of the Attorney General will go a long way in helping bridge the disparity that we see in data collection that helps solve missing and Indigenous peoples cases,” Raybould testified. “I think we owe this to the tribal members in our community and in our state.”

The liaison position builds on past legislative efforts to eliminate barriers to reporting and investigating, including a 2019 law that mandated that the Nebraska State Patrol draft a report on ways to reduce barriers and find opportunities for partnerships.

State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, and former State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln led that 2019 legislation.

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.