South Dakota MMIP liaison reflects on role as she prepares to step down
Allison Morrisette says building trust with families and strengthening partnerships across jurisdictions were central to her work as the state's first MMIP liaison
Allison Morrisette is ending her tenure as South Dakota's Missing and Murdered Indigenous People liaison, a position within the South Dakota Attorney General's Office that she has held since it was created in 2021. According to an interview with South Dakota Searchlight, Morrisette will take a new position with the state's Unified Judicial System working with young offenders. Morrisette, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said she is developing a transition plan for her successor and hopes the next liaison continues building trust between families and law enforcement agencies.
Morrisette told South Dakota Searchlight that her role focused on connecting families with investigators, prosecutors, victim-witness assistants and tribal or community resources rather than investigating cases herself. She said the work relied on collaboration across state and tribal jurisdictions and consistent communication with families. "It was far more than a job for me," Morrisette was quoted as saying. "I hope somebody really good applies for this position, and that it's not just a job for them."
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