Blue Lake Tribal Police
Kevin Miller
Chief of Police
Floyd Stokes
Police Lieutenant
Brenda Stokes
Police Support Technician
How to contact us
- (707) 825-1486
- Anonymous Tip Line: (707) 825-1490
- police@bluelakerancheria-nsn.gov
Our Mission
The mission of the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Police Department is to create and maintain a community-based approach and climate of safety for community members. Our full-time and reserve officers accomplish this by training and equipping ourselves to keep the peace and to vigorously investigate and prosecute crime.
We also work to educate our community members in the methods of crime prevention so each person can participate in the shared goal of a safe community. Each community member — resident, employee, or guest — deserves to be treated with respect and compassion, and we always strive to meet that commitment.
History
Criminal law enforcement is a complex jurisdictional issue in Tribal lands within California because California is a Public Law 280 (PL-280) state. Because of this federal law from the 1950s, Blue Lake Rancheria is an area of concurrent jurisdiction. The Tribal, state, the federal governments all have jurisdiction over specific crimes on the Rancheria. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has been the primary agency to provide state criminal law enforcement services to the Blue Lake Rancheria because of PL-280. However, the situation has changed radically in recent years.
To improve public safety protection on the Rancheria, in 2011 the Tribe’s governing council enacted legislation to form a Tribal police department.
In 2016, the Tribe entered into a deputation agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and now federally commissioned Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Police officers have the authority to enforce federal and Tribal laws on the Rancheria, and federal powers of arrest under the BIA’s Special Law Enforcement Commission (SLEC) program.
In 2018 the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Police Department entered into a cross-deputation agreement with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The cross-deputization agreement allows Tribal police officers to become reserve deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, with the authority to arrest for state crimes and to file state criminal cases through the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to its full time officers, the Blue Lake Tribal Police has a force of reserve officers trained to California POST PC 832 standards, who enforce Tribal laws and who are subject to call-up during emergencies or disasters.
