The May gun battles on the Soboba Reservation between Riverside County sheriff's deputies and a pair of suspects that left three people dead and frustrated tribal members has triggered a new round of action.

This time, a warning shot was fired Thursday by the Riverside Sheriffs' Association.

The association, which represents about 3,700 members and serves as collective bargaining unit for public safety officers below the rank of sergeant, posted an alert on its Internet site that warn its members and the general public to avoid the Soboba Casino for off-duty leisurely activities.

The alert also included a list of nine other tribal gaming locations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties that would offer safer environments until the situation at Soboba is resolved.

Mike Hiles, a spokesman for the tribe, declined to comment on the alert.

Hiles did note, however, that tribal officials have had two meetings since with Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and representatives of the sheriff's department, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice.
A third meeting is expected to be held on Wednesday.

Hiles characterized the sessions as productive, but declined comment beyond that point.

A statement issued after the first session by Dale Morris, regional director of the BIA, said only that the working group agreed to collectively deal with ways to define policies and procedures.

Riverside County Capt. Glenn Worby, who assigned Lt. Patty Knudson of the Hemet station to attend the sessions, said the meetings have been fruitful.

"We are working with meaningful dialogue to iron out perceived differences and improve relationships between the tribe, security officers and the community at-large," he said. "We are moving forward. The general consensus is it has been positive, upbeat."

There have been no acts of violence on the reservation since mid-May, Worby said.

Only the association could offering reasons for its posting, he added.

Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado has been critical of the sheriff's department for its communication flaws with the tribe. He also has been quoted by the Los Angeles Times as likening the police response to that of the "7th Calgary."

Jim Cunningham, executive director of the Riverside Sheriffs' Association, said the alert was posted from a pure public safety point of view.

Assault weapons were involved, Cunningham said, and the situations bore earmarks of an ambush. Investigations are continuing into the deputy-linked shooting deaths on May 12 of Joseph Arres, 36, and Tamara Hurtado, 30; and the May 8 death of Eli Morillo, 26.

"We do not feel the Indian reservation in question was making significant strides to secure the facility" at this time, Cunningham said, and the association believes that more remedial action is warranted.

Tribal leaders said the alert is a concern.

John James, chairman of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, said it strikes him as a potential tactic to muscle the Soboba into striking a law enforcement deal with a call to boycott the casino.

If that tactic works, he posed, what will prevent them from trying it on the other tribes?

James said tribes, like any other group, wants to combat criminal elements. Yet, he said there's a balance that must be struck between tribal sovereignty and the way a tribe deals with law enforcement issues on the reservation.

It gets particularly trying when tribal members who are criminals think they’re in the safety zone once they get on the reservation, James said. "The trick is finding a way to control them," he noted.