CaliforniaPeace officers: tribal police.
What it does
Existing law provides that any person who comes within the provisions of specified statutes and who otherwise meets all standards imposed by law on a peace officer is a peace officer, grants certain authority to those individuals and their employing entities, and places certain requirements on those individuals and their employing entities. Existing law also grants specified limited arrest authority to certain other persons, including federal criminal investigators, park rangers, and peace officers from adjoining jurisdictions.
More detail
Existing federal law authorizes tribal governments to employ tribal police for the enforcement of tribal law on tribal lands. Existing federal law requires the State of California to exercise criminal jurisdiction on Indian lands. Existing state law deems a tribal police officer who has been deputized or appointed by a county sheriff as a reserve or auxiliary deputy to be a peace officer in the State of California.
Existing law, from July 1, 2026, until July 1, 2029, establishes the Tribal Police Pilot Program under the Department of Justice and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training that grants peace officer authority to certain tribal police officers on Indian lands and elsewhere in the state under specified circumstances. Existing law authorizes the department to select 3 federally recognized tribes to participate in this pilot program, sets certain minimum qualifications and certification and training requirements for a tribal officer to act pursuant to this authority, and places certain requirements on the employing tribe, including a limited waiver of sovereign immunity and the adoption of a tribal law or resolution that authorizes the exercise of that authority and provides for public access to certain records.
This bill would rename the pilot program to the Tribal Police Program and would extend the program indefinitely.
Existing law creates the Tribal Police Pilot Fund in the State Treasury to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, assist program participants with the cost of information technology necessary to comply with reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies.
This bill would rename that fund to the Tribal Police Fund.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 25Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 450, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 25Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Aug 31Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 25Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6459.).Major
- Vote recorded AB 31 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 24In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB31 Ramos By Archuleta. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 24Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.).Passed Senate
- Aug 17Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 13Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 13From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 13).Major
- Aug 3In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jul 1From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jun 30
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 9From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.Major
- 2025
- Jun 11Referred to Com. on PUB. S.Minor
- Jun 3In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Jun 2Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 1816.)Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 31 Ramos Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 27Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 23From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 9In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Mar 4From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 4). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 3Referred to Com. on PUB. S.Minor
- 2024
- Dec 3From printer. May be heard in committee January 2.
- Dec 2Read first time. To print.Introduced