Governor signs bill to recognize tribal police in South Dakota as law enforcement

By: John Hult

Outlets: South Dakota Searchlight

Published: March 9, 2026

Words: 430

Last Updated: 13 hours, 30 minutes ago

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Starting July 1, tribal police helping their state or local counterparts will be recognized as law enforcement officers under South Dakota law.

Gov. Larry Rhoden signed House Bill 1007 and other public safety and public welfare-related bills into law on Monday.

Currently, the definition of law enforcement doesn’t include tribal officers, who routinely assist their stateside counterparts on crime and crash scenes but lack jurisdiction outside tribal borders.

State-recognized law enforcement officers are …

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