The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians met with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department on Friday in hopes of improving a relationship that has strained with the fatal shootings of three tribal members.
Chairman Robert Salgado reportedly apologized at the start of the meeting for comparing the sheriff's deputies as the "7th Calvary" and for describing one police captain as "General Custer." He said the escalation of violence caused him to react harshly.
The sheriff's office then asked the news media to leave the meeting. Participants emerged two hours later but declined to answer questions, except to say the talks were productive.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Justice participated in the meeting. The group plans to meet again this Friday to talk about ways to improve law enforcement on the reservation, which has seen a rise in police-related shootings in the past six months.
Get the Story:Violence has plagued Soboba for decades (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 5/18)
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Tribe, Sheriff's Department agree to work out differences (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 5/17)
Soboba tribe members, government officials try to defuse tensions (The Los Angeles Times 5/17)
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Tribal leaders, sheriff's officials call meeting productive (City News Service 5/17)
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