Tribe-county pacts are already working

When Idaho legislators debate a bill that would give tribal police the ability to arrest non-Indians on the reservation, they won’t have to look far for an example of a law already in place.

Washington lawmakers passed a similar bill in 2008, giving tribal police departments the ability to opt in to cross-deputization agreements on reservations statewide. On the Colville Reservation in northeastern Washington, such an agreement has been in place for decades.

“It works perfect,” said Matt Haney, chief of police for the Colville Confederated Tribes.

In Snohomish County, Sheriff John Lovick commissioned the Tulalip Tribe’s police officers in May 2008, shortly after the Washington law was signed, and all the tribe’s officers went through a background check. “Having more eyes and ears out there just made it better for us,” Lovick said.

The Idaho proposal, which has been introduced but has not yet had a hearing, is being supported by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The Idaho Sheriffs’ Association has come out against it, saying it does not give reciprocity for sheriff’s deputies to arrest tribal members on the reservation.

Similar to the Washington law, the Idaho proposal gives tribes the prerogative on whether or not to participate.

Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin said state sheriffs did have some trepidation at first, but the system seems to be working for sheriffs who have entered into agreements with tribes.