Indianz.Com > News > Montana Free Press: County in dark after end of tribal law enforcement agreement

‘Many unknowns’ as Lake County pulls out of decades-old tribal law enforcement agreement
So far, the governor’s office has not said how the state plans to handle law enforcement duties on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Monday, December 11, 2023
Montana Free Press
Officials in Lake County have said there are more questions than answers after they informed the state that they were pulling out of a decades-old agreement because it can no longer afford to pay for law enforcement on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
In November, the Lake County Commission sent a letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte informing him that the local sheriff’s office and criminal justice system would no longer handle felony law enforcement on the reservation under what is called Public Law 280. The agreement between the state and tribe is one-of-a-kind in Montana. The governor has six months to make a proclamation releasing Lake County of its duties, but as of Nov. 30, it has yet to respond, prompting frustration and concern among local officials.
“This has never happened before so we don’t know what to expect,” Sheriff Don Bell told Montana Free Press. “There are so many unanswered questions.”

Justin Franz is a freelance writer, photographer and editor based in Whitefish. Originally from Maine, he is a graduate of the University of Montana’s School of Journalism and worked for the Flathead Beacon for nine years. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Seattle Times and New York Times. Find him at justinfranz.com or follow him on Twitter.
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