Associated Press - July 30, 2009 6:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - American Indian communities are being overwhelmed by gang violence and drug trafficking.

That's the message from tribal law enforcement officials to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee today.

Officials described undermanned police departments that must patrol reservations the size of small states, allowing gangs to thrive and turning reservations into hubs for drug distribution.

At the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, 39 gangs have led to thousands of gang-related police calls.

Hermis John Mousseau is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council at Pine Ridge. He says Pine Ridge has battled an influx of drugs from Minneapolis, Denver and Omaha.

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