LAKE COUNTY — The Mendocino County Sheriff”s Department and the Hopland Tribal Police have benefited from a mutual-aid agreement for about two and a half years and Robinson Rancheria”s Police Department seeks to mirror the same system in Lake County.
According to David Mendoza, Commissioned Chief of Police of Robinson Rancheria, the department would like access to a radio frequency (preferably the Lake County Sheriff”s Office main frequency).
Additionally the department would like to have a mutual aid agreement to be signed for the department to participate in California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Radio System (CLEMARS) as approved by the state.
The department wants to have the ability to book offenders into the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and to work out a protocol for handling crimes that occur on the reservation.
Mendocino County Sheriff, Tom Allman said he has not experienced any negative impact because of the agreement and, if anything, it has improved communication. Allman went on to say, “Anything that improves public and officer safety is something we are supportive of.”
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services Commissioned law enforcement for tribal police must meet federal standards, which means those officers complete Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) in excess of state law enforcement. While California law enforcement officers are required to complete 24 hours of POST, commissioned tribal police are required 40 hours yearly. Unlike a state peace officer, commissioned tribal police have to recertify every three years, whereas state police officers do not have to recertify. However, state-certified police officers and deputy sheriff”s are subject to audit annually.
Both Mendoza and Sgt. John D. Irwin are commissioned. The two men comprise the entire police force for the rancheria.
Allman said that during these challenging economic times it has been a great benefit to have mutual-aid with the tribal police at Hopland.
“In a time of emergency, honestly, the victim or bystander doesn”t care which color uniform responds. They just want someone to help,” Allman said.
According to the (25USC) United States Code 2803 “The Secretary may charge employees of the Bureau with law enforcement responsibilities and may authorize those employees to (8) When requested assist (with or without reimbursement) any Federal, tribal, state or local law enforcement agency in the enforcement or carrying out of the laws or regulations the agency enforces or administers.”
Under the federal statutes that codify the BIA commissioned officers, the aforementioned subsection specifically outlines the ability to provide mutual-aid.
Allman said there are approximately seven frequencies and aside from two frequencies that are off-limits to other agencies, he has given permission to outside agencies and even logging companies, in order to assist with fighting crime in his county.
According to the May edition of The Police Chief magazine, officer safety is a multidimensional challenge. One important aspect of officer safety is the ability to communicate and garner information as well as seek back-up when needed. It is further pointed out that during tough economic times it is urgent to be forward-thinking so all agencies can communicate effectively in times of an emergency. There is a heavy emphasis on collaborative efforts in law enforcement.
Commissioned Police Chief John Larson from the Hopland Reservation said the arrangement has been beneficial for both agencies.
“I have to give credit to Sheriff Tom Allman for his willingness to work with the tribe and our agency and to make this run as smooth and as well as it does. It works to the benefit of the sheriff”s office, the tribes and the citizens,” Larson said. “We have an excellent council that is pro-law enforcement and for the betterment of the people. They encourage positive communication between the sheriff”s office and our department.”
Larson went on to say, “It”s something I recommend for other agencies. To have access to the frequency if there”s a major incident — it could be lifesaving when we can communicate directly. I would have no idea why a sheriff”s department would not want to have direct communication with another police agency in a critical situation in the same county.”
The requirement for Lake County to mirror Mendocino”s system is a signature from Lake County Sheriff Frank Rivero.
