To expand the implementation of community policing and meet the critical needs of law enforcement in tribal nations, the COPS Office awards Tribal Resources Grant Program (TRGP) funding through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) every year.

These funds can be used by tribal law enforcement for a variety of purposes, including hiring officers, acquiring equipment, and providing training to enhance community policing efforts. Through these measures, they can strengthen their prevention strategies and improve criminal investigations in areas such as human trafficking and missing or murdered Indigenous people.

The funding can also be used to enhance other crime control efforts such as law enforcement response to illegal drug use and trafficking, the implementation or expansion of community policing strategies, and the development of a crime control plan with the community.

In 2020, awards were granted to 41 tribes in the following categories:

• TRGP–Equipment/Training grants fund equipment and training including vehicles, communications technology, training, etc.
  Forty-one grants awarded for a total of $12,673,448
• TRGP–Hiring grants fund the hiring of new tribal law enforcement officers and the re-hiring of those who were laid off because of budget reductions to increase community policing capacities and support crime prevention efforts.
  Twenty-three grants awarded for hiring 31 officers for a total of $9,847,328

In addition to the TRGP, the COPS Office made several awards to tribal law enforcement agencies under other grant programs. These awards include the following:

• School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) grants fund school safety measures in and around K–12 schools including coordination with and training for law enforcement, technology, metal detectors, locks, and other security improvements. grants fund equipment and training including vehicles, communications technology, training, etc.
  One grant awarded for $144,281
• COPS Hiring Program (CHP) funds the hiring of new tribal law enforcement officers and the re-hiring of those who were laid off because of budget reductions in order to increase community policing capacities and support crime prevention efforts.
  Six grants awarded for hiring 12 officers for a total of $1,682.024
• Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness (LEMHWA) grants fund the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and peer mentoring programs.
  One grant awarded for $125,000

In response to the law enforcement emergency in rural Alaska declared by Attorney General William Barr in June 2019, TRGP–Hiring provided funding for 20 officers in Alaska Native villages in 2019. As a result, 40 officers are now funded to Alaska Native villages by all grant programs for FY 2019 and FY 2020.

TRGP–Technical Assistance (TRGP–TA) has also awarded two grants in the following areas:

• Cold Case Investigations to help tribal law enforcement develop protocols for investigations of cold cases involving missing and murdered persons, sexual assaults, and other unsolved violent crimes.
• Alaska Hiring/Training to address the shortage of tribal law enforcement officers in rural Alaska through the Rural Alaska Tegustet Program by expanding basic training opportunities and creating two youth career camps.

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