Riverside County Sheriff Stanley Sniff said Tuesday his department is launching two initiatives to improve relationships with tribes following three fatal deputy-involved shootings this month on the Soboba reservation.

Sniff said he would appoint a lieutenant to act as a liaison to the tribes and a stable point of contact. The move would support his department's philosophy of enhancing community-based policing, Sniff said.

He also said during a Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting that his department will begin recruiting tribal members.

Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado has criticized the Sheriff's Department for its lack of communication with tribal leaders.

The liaison would augment station captains' efforts to forge relationships with tribal communities, Sniff said He told supervisors that he will seek funding for the position during budget hearings next month.

Sniff said the recruitment of tribal members will be part of his emphasis on building diversity in the department.

The Sheriff's Department expects to recruit 1,500 deputies over the next three years, many of whom will provide staffing for the county's jail expansion.

"This would essentially be setting the stage for tribes to police themselves," Sniff said of the recruitment campaign.

Supervisors voiced tentative support for Sniff's initiatives.

"I don't see any issue that is any more difficult than this emerging issue with our tribes as they grow and the casinos expand," Supervisor Bob Buster said.

Buster said the Soboba reservation, northeast of Hemet, is geographically isolated from the rest of the county, and he speculated that isolation has contributed to some of the frustration and escalating tension.

"Especially now, with the heady mix of newfound riches pouring into the casinos and the great sense of trying to regain pride in tribal history. You can see how disconnects can occur," Buster said.

Investigations are continuing into the deputy-involved shooting deaths of Joseph Arres, 36, and Tamara Angela Hurtado, 30, on May 12; and the May 8 shooting death of Eli Morillo, 26.

The three had been involved in gunbattles with deputies in two incidents.

Reach Kimberly Trone at 951-368-9456 or ktrone@PE.com