Dozens of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and supporters rallied with state and local leaders at the Capitol on Monday over the monthslong policing dispute between Mille Lacs County and the tribe.
The band organized the rally to draw awareness about the impasse over public safety on reservation and trust lands.
After working together for 25 years under a joint law enforcement agreement, the county said it severed ties with tribal police last year because of concerns about tribal police work — concerns that tribal officials say are meritless. Since then, negotiations over a new agreement deadlocked, mediation ended in an impasse and Gov. Mark Dayton unsuccessfully intervened to urge both sides to end what he called a "public safety crisis."
Last week, the dispute drew the attention of U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who traveled to Minnesota to meet with county and band leaders separately after receiving a letter about the issue. Tribal leaders say it was the first time ever an interior secretary has visited.
"He wanted to help hammer out a solution," Heather Swift, a department spokeswoman, said via e-mail.
On Friday, the band sued the county in federal court, asking a judge to allow tribal officers to do their jobs without interference from the county.
A mediation session is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 27.
With no working agreement with the county, the 23 tribal police officers can't be dispatched on 911 calls, take someone to the county jail, work investigations or seek charges from the county attorney. The impasse comes amid growing opioid and heroin abuse, not just in Mille Lacs but statewide. In 2016, 66 drug overdoses were reported on the reservation, 13 resulting in death.
