JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT 

BETWEEN 

THE HOOPA VALLEY TRIBE 

AND 

THE COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT 

The Hoopa Valley Tribe, a sovereign, federally recognized Indian Tribe, and the 

County of Humboldt, a political subdivision of the State of California, enter into this binding 

Joint Powers Agreement on this 30th day of May , 1995. 

Findings 

The Tribe and the County find: 

I. That the safety and health of persons resident on the Hoo pa Valley Indian Reservation 

are enhanced by close cooperation and continuous communication between the Hoopa 

Valley Tribal Police and the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office; 

2. That the unique culture and history of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the geographic 

remoteness of the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, and a structure of Tribal and federal 

Indian laws at times make it exceptionally difficult for Humboldt County deputy sheriffs 

to carry out their peace officer duties enforcing state law on the Hoopa Valley Indian 

Reservation; 

3. That, consistent with important principles ofHoopa Tribal sovereignty and selfgovernance, it is the desire and the policy of the Tribe and the County that the Tribe 

exercise authority respecting the protection of persons and property on the Hoopa Valley 

Indian Reservation; and, 

4. That drugs, burglaries, car thefts, adolescent crime and domestic violence are increasing 

at a time when Humboldt County is allocating fewer law enforcement resources to the 

Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. 

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JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

THE HOOPA VALLEY TRIBE AND THE COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT 

Policies 

In light of the Findings herein, the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the County of Humboldt agree to 

implement and abide by the following policies: 

I. Statistical Analysis And Narrative Report - The Tribe and the County shall acquire data, 

analyze statistics and jointly draft an annual narrative report, to be submitted to the 

Tribal Council and to the Board of Supervisors and to be made public; the statistical 

analysis and narrative report shall focus on identifying primary law enforcement 

difficulties and proposing common sense solutions susceptible to quantifiable measure. 

2. Public Service - As staffing allows, due to budget constraints, the Tribe and the County 

shall jointly plan and c::my out a public service project acquainting residents of the 

Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, including without limitation children, parents and 

businesses, with the duties of law enforcement officers, techniques for preventing crime, 

civil rights and whatever information is useful in assuring that the Hoopa Valley Indian 

Reservation is a safe and healthy place to reside, attend school or be employed; in 

designing a public service project, the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police and the Humboldt 

County Sheriffs Office shall seek the assistance of Hoopa residents. 

3. Cross-Deputizing - The County shall, in compliance with California PeQal Code Section 

§§ 830.6 and 830.8, deputize Hoopa Tribal Police on completing the training course for 

deputy sheriffs prescribed by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training 

or an equivalent federal training course, and upon approval of the Sheriff, not to be 

unreasonably withheld or delayed, and upon passing a standard background check; the 

Tribe shall deputize Humboldt County deputy sheriffs upon completion of a course in 

Hoopa Tribal law and history. 

4. Cultural and Racial Div!';rsjty Training: - Whenever practical, due to budget constraints, 

Humboldt County deputy sheriffs shall, preceding assignment to duties on the Hoopa 

Valley Indian Reservation, complete a course of training in cultural and racial diversity, 

substantially similar to that required by California Penal Code Section § 13519.4, 

emphasizing Hoopa Tribal Culture. 

5. Tra\ning - The Tribe and the County shall offer to each other, for cross deputization 

personnel only, law enforcement Training, internal or external, and shall make printed 

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JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

THE HOOP A VALLEY TRIBE AND THE COUNTY OF HUl.\rlBOLDT 

and electronic training matter accessible to each other; the Tribe and the County shall 

bear the cost of training their respective personnel. 

6. Equipment - The Tribe and the County shall submit to each other an inventory of their 

equipment, available in the Hoopa Area, that is useful in inquiries, investigations and law 

enforcement actions undertaken by the Tribe or the County; the Tribe and the County 

sha_ll, on request, endeavor to make this equipment, excepting patrol cars, available to 

each other in a timely manner; equipment damaged or lost during the time it is on loan 

shall be promptly replaced by the user or the owner compensated, as promptly as 

budgetary constraints allow. 

7. Reports - The Hoopa Valley Tribal Police shall conform to Humboldt County deputy 

sheriffs' deadlines respecting timely submission of investigation, arrest and other reports; 

the Humboldt County deputy sheriffs shall conform to Hoopa Valley Tribal Police 

deadlines respecting timely submission of investigation, arrest and other reports so long 

as Hoopa Tribal Police are recognized by the California Department of Justice as an 

official law enforcement agency. 

8. Staffing Assignments - Subject to budget constraints or sufficient funding allocation by 

the Board of Supervisors, the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office shall endeavor during 

the two years following commencement of this agreement to reach the ~bjective of 

assigning sufficient deputy sheriffs to the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation to offer 24 

hours a day 7 days each week staffing on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation by the 

Humboldt County Sheriffs Office. 

9. Duty Assignments - The Humboldt County Sheriffs Office shall allocate law 

enforcement resources on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in a manner which 

reflects the likelihood of crimes occurring at hours and days disclosed by statistics and 

experiences obtained by the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Department; there shall be a 

monthly communication, during the first week of each month, between the Chief of the 

Hoopa Valley Tribal Police and the Humboldt County Sheriff to set the schedule for 

staffing coverage required by this paragraph. 

10. Records -The Tribe and the County shall, subject to applicable laws respecting 

confidentiality and privacy, and subject to the Public Records Act and the Freedom of 

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JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

THE HOOPA VALLEY TRIBE AND THE COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT 

Information Act, access and transmit to each other records in their possession or control 

which are useful in identifying and suing or apprehending and prosecuting individuals or 

companies reasonably thought to have violated civil or criminal laws of the Tribe, the 

United States, the County or the State of California. 

11. Lines of Communication - The Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Chief and the Humboldt 

County Sheriff shall communicate promptly and straight to each other respecting this 

Joint Powers Agreement at least once each month in order to avoid communication 

problems in going through bureaucratic channels; Chief to Chief communications shall 

be a high priority. 

12. Primary Task - The primary task assigned to the Hoo pa Valley Tribal Police by the 

Tribal Government is the protection of Tribal natural resources and property; the Tribal 

Police shall, insofar as is consistent with carrying out their primary task, assist the 

Humboldt County Sheriffs Office in investigations, misdemeanor arrests, felony backup and prisoner transportation insofar as feasible. 

13. ln..sJlr;irice - The County of Humboldt shall reimburse the Tribe for the costs of insurance 

coverage of personnel and equipment traceable to assisting the Humboldt County 

Sheriffs Office in compliance with this Joint Powers Agreement. Each of the parties 

shall maintain police professional liability insurance or personal injury insurance or both 

to cover police officers' actions in the course of duty. This insurance should extend to 

reserve officers and mutual aid agreements. Any changes in coverage will be made only 

after 90 days notice to the other party. In addition, each party shall communicate the 

proof of insurance documents to each other. 

14. Off-Reservation lnquirv - The Hoopa Valley Tribal Police are authorized and permitted 

to carry out inquiries in support of civil or criminal investigations on reservation and, 

upon request of the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office, offreservation in Humboldt 

County. 

15. Criminal Information Svstems - The Hoopa Valley Tribal Police, upon approval by the 

California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System ("CLETS") Board, shall be 

authorized to access criminal information databases, CLETS, and other computerized 

.· information systems; upon approval ofTribal Police access to CLETS, the Humboldt

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JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

THE HOOPA VALLEY TRIBE AND THE COUNTY OF HUl\IBOLDT 

County Sheriffs Office shall assist the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police in obtaining their 

own criminal information systems access and equipment. 

16. Indemnification - The parties shall indemnify and hold each other hannless against any 

suits or other proceedings related to the performance of law enforcement activities by 

each party's personnel on behalf of and the request of the other p::irty. 

17. Sovereign Immunity - This agreement is not intended nor shall it be so interpreted to be a 

waiver of sovereign immunity of the Hoopa Valley Tribe or Humboldt County, or their 

employees, officials and agents. 

18. Joint-Use Of Focilities - The facilities known as the Humboldt Sheriffs Substation and 

the Klamath Trinity Justice Court located on State Highway 96 and occupied under the 

authority of a Hoopa Tribal lease shall be jointly occupied and utilized by Tribal and 

County Law Enforcement Agencies according to a plan to be developed no later than 120 

days following execution of this agreement, and must include consultation with the 

Judge of the North Humboldt Division of the Humboldt County Court. 

19. Ein.§ - The Humboldt County Sheriffs Office and the Hoo pa Valley Tribal Police shall 

jointly research the feasibility of allocating criminal fines to the Hoo pa Valley Indian 

Reservation for the funding of natural resources and other Tribal law enforcement 

priorities. 

20. Recruiting from Hoopa - The Humboldt County Sheriffs Office shall endeavor to solicit 

applications from and hire qualified Hoopa tribal members to serve as deputy sheriffs 

and staff, insofar as state civil rights laws are pre-empted by federal laws, including 42 

U.S.C. § 2000(e), that provide Indian preference on or near Indian reservations. 

21. Enforcement - Any issues of interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement shall be 

resolved by a mediator, to be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto, in concert with 

a representative of Humboldt County and a representative of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. 

22. Tuan - This Agreement shall be in force and effect for four (4) years following execution 

hereof. This Agreement shall be automatically renewed for another four (4) year period 

absent an express revocation by either the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and 

the Sheriff or the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council. 

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______ _ 

JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

THE HOOPA VALLEY TRIBE AND THE COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT 

23. Amendment - This Agreement may from time to time, be amended by a subsequent 

written agreement of the parties hereto. 

IN WI1NESS THEREOF, this Joint Powers Agreement has been executed by and on 

behalfof the parties hereto as of the dates shown below. 

Dated: S -::.. 2. o/"~?.s -

Dated: -------

Dated: -6-,Az.•/fsDated: --------

•· 

/ .../'_,,,,,,___. 

By: 

Direcfur 

Hoopa Valley Tribal Police 

0'\ ' .J ' 

By: --~----=-....::....:c..::.....;;..-~..;.__ 

Sheriff 

County of Humboldt 

By: . 

Chairman, Hoopa Valley Tribal 

Hoopa Valley Tribe 

By:_~~""4l1A,,....J,..),...:._~~~~~'-----­

Chairman, Board of Supervis s 

County of Humboldt 

6 

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