HCSO enters into deputization agreement with the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. — Sheriff William F. Honsal has announced that the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has entered into a deputization agreement with the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe.The HCSO said the agreement allows for better coverage and efficiency in public safety services within the rancheria and surrounding areas.

"It's a big deal," Sheriff Honsal said. "In the state of California we have public law 280, which means the sheriff has the authority to enforce state law on tribal land. But tribal government and laws are unique, as well as policing and we want to have a great relationship with our tribal governments. We want to have the ability to partner with our tribal governments."

Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe is now the third tribe in Humboldt County to partner with the HCSO. The others are the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes.

"Tribal officers that have federal police officer powers now have the ability to go through the training in becoming deputies," Sheriff Honsal said. "Tribal police officers have to go through the same training as police officers with our sheriff's office. They have to go through police academy which is about six months long. When they are done, they go through a field training program which is four months. Tthere, they'll go through a series of guidelines. They have to pass that four months of training in order to become deputies."

Prior to the agreement, the Blue Lake Tribal Police Department was federally commissioned, meaning officers could enforce federal law but not California law. According to Tribal Police Chief Floyd Stokes, this stipulation seriously limited the public safety services the department was able to provide and the justice the community received.

“A lot of crimes that occur on tribal properties are better handled through California courts than federal courts,” Chief Stokes said. “We can’t do our business well enough unless we have access to California courts and we don’t have access unless we are California peace officers.”

The HCSO will supervise tribal officers investigating state crimes. Deputized tribal officers will be distinctively recognized by wearing a deputy sheriff badge and one Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office shoulder patch.

“Deputization with the sheriff’s office is absolutely vital for us to run a full-service police department,” Chief Stokes said. “The whole objective is for us to be able to assist the sheriff’s office if they have a need and for us to handle a criminal activity on the Rancheria as it occurs.

Sheriff Honsal said he looks forward to the partnership with the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe and thanks the Tribal Police Department for their dedication to meet deputization standards.