Department of Public Safety Blog

May 30, 2019

When Nigel Perrote was in high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he thought he might like to work for the FBI on tribal issues. Perrote is the tribal liaison for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Justice Programs (OJP). He is also an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin who “stumbled into the public safety field by accident” and has been helping solve issues of victimization and violence in American Indian communities ever since.

It’s a role Perrote feels fortunate to play, he says, because “In the American Indian community, the rates of violence and victimization are staggering, with American Indians having disproportionate rates.” He came to DPS from the City of Minneapolis Health Department, where he worked on issues of adolescent sexual health and youth violence prevention, a natural extension of his professional life. “My background has largely been working with Urban Indian youth and families on issues around crime victimization and homelessness,” he explains.

As DPS tribal liaison, Perrote’s role is to make sure everything DPS does takes into consideration the effect on Minnesota tribes. “That takes form in three basic ways,” he says. “Informing (educating), coordinating, and communicating.” All of which require good relationships with tribal communities and partners.

In fact, when Perrote first came to DPS 10 months ago, he received some excellent insight. He learned that the vast majority of problems that occur in relations between state agencies and tribes are due to lack of communication. He quickly discovered that many of those problems could be prevented by being out in the field, talking to and learning from tribal public safety officials. “It’s about being in the community and meeting with the folks impacted the most, whether it’s tribal law enforcement, crime victims, services, or tribal leadership,” he says. And that’s not just formal meetings – Perrote likes to participate in events and other forms of outreach. The more time he spends in the field around the state, the better he can perform his duties.

For example, Perrote and three colleagues recently attended the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center open house in Minneapolis. They wanted to do some outreach, but more specifically, the goal was to learn more about the issue of murdered and missing indigenous women. They talked to advocates and tribal leaders about the victims they work with, and learned from members of the community about what they’d like to see and what would help them most with this all-too-prevalent problem.

For Perrote, the experience “highlighted some things we might not have thought about, especially working with urban tribal members,” he says. And as we wrap up the 50th anniversary of American Indian Month in Minnesota, DPS in general – and Perrote in particular -- will continue to seek out those experiences and foster those relationships to better serve the tribes of Minnesota.