Violence and Gaming in Riverside County

The New York Times reported on violence on the Soboba Band's reservation in southern California, fueled, according to the tribe, by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Since December 2007, five tribal members have been killed in shoot-outs with the Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department claims that crime has risen dramatically on the reservation since 2006, when the tribe cancelled its contract with the Sheriff's Department to provide law enforcement.

The tribe has implemented a policy requiring Sheriff's deputies to check in and travel with an escort on the reservation. The Sheriff's Department has asked the NIGC to close the tribe's casino, arguing that there is imminent danger to casino patrons, employees, and nearby residents.

In the meantime, responding to complaints from groups like Stand Up for California, the governor's office is investigating whether the security restrictions or the increase in violent crime violate the tribal-state compact.

Riverside County Sheriff Stanley Sniff accused the tribe of having a "culture of violence" while tribal chair Robert Salgado charged that the Sheriff's Department was acting more like a 19th-century frontier cavalry.

Read more in the Times at Clash with Tribe Spurs Effort to Shut a Casino