Montana Tribe Wants to Take Over Police Duties

The Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe in Montana is working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to contract law enforcement duties from the federal agency.

According to a BIA spokesperson, tribes often contract with the BIA to provide services or run programs on their reservations and the areas that could be contracted by the Northern Cheyenne include communications and investigations.

“For tribes, it’s a good thing for them to want to take over a program,” the BIA’s Matt Pryor told the Associated Press.

Pryor, special agent in charge of the BIA district that includes Montana, says the tribal council has requested documents regarding the resources needed to provide specific law enforcement and corrections services as well as descriptions and salaries for related positions. The tribe is expected to propose a contract for the work it decides to request after reviewing the documents.