A bill working through the state legislature would allow for some tribal law enforcement to be classified as peace officers to increase their ability to investigate and prosecute crimes as a pilot program. If passed, supporters hope it would serve as a model for a future expansion granting the same rights to tribes across the state.
Advocates point to a need for more culturally sensitive investigators – or in some cases, leeway to enforce state law in the absence of resources from local sheriff’s offices – as the motivation behind AB 2138.
More leeway to investigate
Currently, tribal law enforcement agents are not considered peace officers under federal law – meaning that their power to enforce state laws and collaborate with other law enforcement agencies is limited.
If passed, the law would put a three-year pilot program in place from 2025 to 2028 to grant some tribal law enforcement more power to investigate crimes and detain suspects, including non-native individuals, and to study the impact for the possibility of a permanent expansion.
Why advocates are calling for the law now
Assemblymember James Ramos of Highland, the first and only California Native American elected to the state legislature, introduced and sponsored the legislation.
At a press conference last week, Ramos, advocates and tribal members said they see the legislation as providing an additional fix to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
State officials have recognized this rise in disappearances and taken steps to address it, but many still say that more action is needed.
For Morning Star Gali, director of the advocacy organization…
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