Oregon Public Broadcasting

Busting bad guys gets complicated in Indian Country -- at least in Washington State. Unlike Oregon, native police aren’t allowed to arrest non-native lawbreakers.

Instead they have to call for backup from law enforcement outside the reservation. But a new bill just passed by the Washington legislature would change that. Richland correspondent Anna King has the story.

The Suquamish Reservation near Seattle might be the poster child for the bill. More than half of the people who live in the 12-square-mile community are non-native. That’s a big problem for tribal police.

Take the time Chief of Police Mike Lasnier stopped a drunk driver on New Year’s Eve in 2000.

Mike Lasnier: "It was the husband of one of our tribal members, he was non-native. So I could pull him over and detain him, but I couldn’t do anything after that."

Lasnier called for support from the county and the state but it was a busy New Year’s Eve. He was told the fastest response would be 8-to-10 hours.

Mike Lasnier: "A few years later the same guy, out driving drunk, crossed the center line on a highway up by Port Angeles and killed three citizens."

Lasnier is part of the committee that drafted the new bill that makes tribal police equal with other officers in the state. Opponents say they want to make sure the federal government agrees with the plan before it’s put into law.

Online:

Learn more about the bill