Pictured from left to right are Police Chief Dave Mendoza, Robinson Rancheria; Sgt. John Irwin Jr., Robinson Rancheria; Officer Tomas Riley, Hopland; Officer Phil Ginn, Hopland; U.S. Federal Judge N. Vadas; Officer Luis Espinoza, Hopland; Corporal John Hill, Hopland; Corporal Rich Mascherini, Hopland; Hopland Tribal Police Chief Brett Rhodes; Lt. John Larsen, Hopland. All of the officers are federally sworn. Courtesy photo.

HOPLAND – In an unprecedented arrangement, the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California have entered into an agreement under which Federal Magistrate Judge Nandor J. Vadas will hold federal court on the Hopland Indian Reservation.

Hopland Tribal Police Chief Brett Rhodes, who oversees the federally commissioned law enforcement department serving the Hopland Reservation, announced Tuesday that Hopland’s police officers – who are commissioned by the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Justice Services – will have Central Violations Bureau misdemeanor citations heard by Judge Vadas utilizing the Hopland Reservation Court facility.

This is the first time that a federal court has arranged to hold regular court sessions on an Indian reservation in California, officials reported.

Judge Vadas will preside over bimonthly hearings on misdemeanor citations issued by both federally commissioned law enforcement departments at Hopland and Robinson Rancheria, the United States Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Forest Service.

The arrangement is a result of the combined efforts of Judge Vadas and the federally commissioned law enforcement departments at the Hopland Reservation and the Robinson Rancheria.

The chiefs of the two law enforcement departments approached Judge Vadas earlier this year with the idea of allowing federally commissioned officers to have misdemeanor citations addressed in Mendocino County, rather than requiring them to travel to the federal district court divisions in Eureka, San Francisco or Sacramento.

Judge Vadas agreed to travel to the Hopland Reservation to hold the court sessions. The court sessions on the Hopland Reservation will address misdemeanor citations for violations of federal law.

“It’s been a pleasure to have worked closely with Judge Vadas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and all participating federal law enforcement agencies in developing this agreement, I look forward to assisting in it’s continued development and success here in the region,” Rhodes said.

“This arrangement is not only of practical importance for the federal law enforcement officers working in the area, it is a clear recognition of the tribe’s federally commissioned law enforcement agencies efforts to build partnerships in order to improve upon the public safety services in Lake and Mendocino counties,” Chief David Mendoza of the Robinson Rancheria federally commissioned law enforcement department stated. “By allowing more efficient processing of the citations, the agreement will promote more effective enforcement of federal law on federal lands in Mendocino and Lake counties.”

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