State racks up nearly $1 million bill for tribal law enforcement in Lake County

Officials in Lake County have billed the state of Montana nearly $1 million this year to help cover the cost of law enforcement on the Flathead Indian Reservation, something local officials say is the state’s responsibility under a decades-old arrangement.

So far, the state has not squared up its growing tab. 

The ever-increasing bill is just the latest in an ongoing dispute between Lake County and the state thanks to a unique law enforcement agreement called Public Law 280. That agreement has seen Lake County officers and attorneys, rather than federal officials, handle felony crimes committed by tribal members. While the arrangement is popular, mostly because local crime doesn’t fall through the cracks, Lake County’s elected officials say they can no longer cover the cost.