Northern Cheyenne tribe asks for federal law enforcement

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Government has adopted a new ordinance that calls on the federal government to help enforce laws on tribal land.

The Billings Gazette reports that Northern Cheyenne Tribal President Llevando Fisher signed a new ordinance last week that implements temporary changes to the tribe’s law-and-order code, updating drug, traffic and trespassing laws.

Part of the ordinance calls for the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to dedicate more resources to enforcing tribal laws.

All scheduled narcotics and paraphernalia are now banned from tribal lands except for peyote in the Native American Church. Trespassing laws have been updated to enforce time limits and traffic laws include seat-belt requirements.

The changes come after a gun battle in March at a gas station on tribal land, which Fisher said was a “wake-up call.”

–––

Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com