For decades, Lake County has overseen felony jurisdiction on the Flathead Reservation as part of a long-standing agreement. But commissioners said the county can no longer afford it and wants to pull out.
That would pass jurisdiction to the state, but Gov. Greg Gianforte said the state is also pulling out of the agreement.
That means the federal government would take over, but Montana U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said federal agencies are already stretched.
"And we know for a certainty at this point that it will be worse in the short term from a resource perspective in holding people accountable,” Laslovich said.
He said his office would only be able to prosecute bigger cases that impact a large number of people, like large drug distribution or sex trafficking. Lower-level felony offenses might go unchecked.
“That’s an unacceptable consequence,” County Commissioner Gale Decker said.
Decker said it costs about $4 million to provide law enforcement services on the reservation.
“If we have to stay in it just for public safety concerns, then we’ll have to make decisions about where we can find extra money,” Decker said.
Decker said that could come in the form of budget cuts, staff layoffs or asking voters to approve a levy.
If Lake County continues with its plan to pull out of the agreement, the federal government would take over May 21.
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Gov. Greg Gianforte said the state will not take over law enforcement services on the Flathead Reservation. That comes after Lake County pulled out of an agreement to provide felony law enforcement oversight on the reservation. It's unclear who will take over the services. -
Lake County said it will no longer handle felony cases for tribal members on the Flathead Reservation come next spring. But there are many open questions about whether the state will fill that void. -
Lake County commissioners Monday sent a letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte reiterating that the county will no longer oversee felony cases on the Flathead Reservation. Commissioners have long argued that the county doesn’t have the tax base to pay for law enforcement on tribal lands. -
Lake County commissioners delayed a decision Thursday about whether to stop county law-enforcement work on the Flathead Reservation. The delay comes as the county waits for a court to weigh in.
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The funding bill would have used state money to pay Lake County $5 million for providing law enforcement on the reservation. County officials have argued residents can no longer afford to pay for those services.
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A bill that would require the state to pay for the cost of law enforcement services on the Flathead Reservation passed through the state Senate Thursday.
