Reid, a Mormon, sent a letter last week to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey saying he remains concerned about the "pervasive criminal activity" by polygamous groups in the southwestern United States, as underscored by the raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in Texas.

"The problem remains acute," Reid, a Nevada Democrat, wrote, noting that some polygamists have isolated themselves by setting up tightly controlled towns, with officials discouraging victims of polygamy from seeking help.

"In the fact of such corruption, state and local law enforcement is often inadequate. Federal assistance is vital."

The Justice Department said it is reviewing the letter. Reid handwrote a postscript to the letter saying that the subject matter deserved Mukasey's personal attention.

Reid previously wrote to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in September 2006 saying the federal government should work with state officials to address the "broader pattern of serious criminal conduct by all those who use multiple marriages to abuse women and children."

Reid suggested at the time that Justice should establish a federal task force to investigate interstate crimes by polygamous communities. Gonzales' response was encouraging, Reid says, but the majority leader remains unsatisfied with the federal strategy.

"The recent raid of one polygamist compound in Texas uncovered many of these problems," Reid wrote in his current letter. "But Texas may just be the tip of the iceberg."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which Reid converted in college, officially banned polygamy in 1890, though some splinter groups, such as the FLDS, still allow and encourage multiple wives.

Meanwhile, despite comments from some of the FLDS followers that they would seek assistance from Utah's federal delegation, none of the offices reports any contact from the group.

"I have not been asked to intercede on their behalf, and I've not done so," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said this week. "However, I have empathy for the women and children. Unless abuse is involved, children should not be separated from their mothers."

Fred Piccolo, a spokesman for Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said if the followers seek assistance, "we will do what is lawful and proper considering the investigation under way and putting the safety of kids first."

tburr@sltrib.com