WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing is focusing on the lack of federal crime enforcement on Indian reservations.

The hearing chaired by North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan also focuses on ways to improve the justice system. North Dakota U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley is scheduled to be among those appearing.

The Indian Affairs panel says the government has declined to prosecute 62% of Indian country criminal cases referred to federal prosecutors between 2004 and 2007.

Federal statistics have shown American Indians are the victims of violent crime at 2.5 times the national rate, with rates of homicide and domestic violence much higher than national averages.