Board approves 'interim' law enforcement agreement; lawsuit remains active

After 26 months of off-and-on again negotiations, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Mille Lacs County have reached an a new law enforcement agreement that restores state law enforcement authority to tribal police. That agreement was passed by unanimous vote at the Tuesday, Sept. 18 regular board meeting and is effective immediately.

The mutual aide cooperative agreement that had been in place since 2008 was revoked by the county in July 2016. The county primarily said that cooperative agreement “was no longer cooperative” saying the Band had been hiding information from the county. The new agreement was negotiated with “compromise on both sides,” outside attorney for the county Randy Thompson said. “So no one is confused, this will not end the [current] law suit. It simply will allow the Mille Lacs Band to resume law enforcement activities,”

http://www.messagemedia.co/millelacs/news/local/board-approves-interim-law-enforcement-agreement-lawsuit-remains-active/article_3175feba-c040-11e8-8b7c-f3ceb52104fa.html