The Blackfeet Nation and Glacier County, Montana, signed a long-awaited law enforcement deal on Thursday.

Tribal officers who are certified by the Montana Law Enforcement Academy will be cross-deputized to enforce state law over non-Indians. Tribal officers will be called into county court if necessary.

County sheriff's deputies will be cross-deputized to enforce tribal laws on the reservation against tribal members and other Native Americans. The deputies can be called into tribal court.

"This is truly a historic document," said tribal attorney Sandra Watts, The Great Falls Tribune reported "It goes beyond anything else in the nation. In the past, there have been one-way agreements, but nothing that's truly reciprocal."

Get the Story:
Glacier County, Blackfeet sign historic accord (The Great Falls Tribune 8/7)

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