‘Many unknowns’ as Lake County pulls out of decades-old tribal law enforcement agreement

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.”