WATERTOWN, S.D. (KELO) — In Wagner, S.D. on Aug. 14, as he gathered with other tribal leaders for a meeting with United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, Crow Creek Sioux Tribal chairman Peter Lengkeek talked about a new venture.
“Just a couple days ago we signed an amended MOU with the state Highway Patrol to bring them into the reservation on an as-needed basis under our jurisdiction, under our law and order code,” Lengkeek said Aug. 14.
KELOLAND News spoke Wednesday with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem about that memorandum of understanding.
“Chairman Lengkeek has been fantastic as far as addressing the needs of his community in signing this agreement, and we’re looking forward to partnering with them in a good way,” Noem said.
Noem not only praises the chairman, but also the agreement.
“In the past we’ve had these mutual aid agreements, or law enforcement agreements at the time, for specific events, maybe we signed one with a tribe just to handle a special activity they were doing or a powwow or a celebration,” Noem said. “This is going to be an ongoing mutual aid agreement with Crow Creek that really is unprecedented and special by the way that it brings resources to their communities.”
Furthermore, the agreement can be a two-way street.
“We’re looking for more agreements like this that are mutual aid that if their tribal officers get into a difficult situation, need support or backup, often they’re under-resourced and don’t have enough, that our highway patrol officers, that our local law enforcement can come and be of assistance, and the same situation happens as well,” Noem said. “If one of our officers is in tribal lands, they reach out to the tribal officers and ask if they can assist with a situation that they’re seeing, and they can partner in that in a new way.”
And she says this partnership can happen elsewhere.
“This can be a model for every tribe to embrace,” Noem said. “This mutual aid agreement recognizes their sovereignty as a government and is a government-to-government relationship and agreement.”
