SAN JACINTO – The leader of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department vowed yesterday to work together to lower tensions after three people were killed on the reservation in gunbattles with deputies.
Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado declined to elaborate, citing a mutual agreement with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to remain silent about their closed-door negotiations with a federal mediator.
Earlier this week, Salgado accused deputies of coming to the reservation to “blow people away” and referred to the local sheriff's station commander, Capt. Glenn Worby, as “General Custer.” Yesterday, he apologized to Worby for his remarks.
Dale Morris, regional director of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, called the meeting yesterday “a first step” after days of antagonism between the tribe and law enforcement. He said sheriff's policies and procedures would be reviewed at a meeting tentatively set for next week.
The two-hour summit came four days after deputies pursued a man and woman into the hills of the reservation southeast of Los Angeles following reports of shots fired at a tribal security guard shack.
Authorities said the man and woman fired at a sheriff's helicopter and SWAT team before officers killed them. Tribal funeral rituals for the pair were scheduled for last night.
On May 8, deputies killed a former tribal chairwoman's son, who had opened fire on them on the reservation.
The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians has a 3,170-acre reservation and operates a casino. The tribal Web site says it has about 900 members, many of whom live in communities neighboring the reservation.
The Sheriff's Department claims deputies have repeatedly come under fire on the reservation and have tried to communicate with tribal leaders. They declined to discuss the ongoing investigations.
Salgado and other members of the tribe earlier this week accused deputies of using their land as a practice range and failing to give them the respect due to a sovereign nation.
Salgado has said he believes deputies may be retaliating against the tribe for asserting its independence from their authority. In 2006, the tribe met with state officials to discuss replacing department oversight with tribal enforcement for certain civil matters, such as domestic violence.
The dispute centers on the sometimes-confusing overlap of authority between the county and the tribe.
Riverside County doesn't have formal operating agreements with tribal authorities in their jurisdictions, which may have exacerbated antagonism, an Indian affairs expert said.
