Weeks after deadly gunbattles between Riverside County sheriff's deputies and Soboba tribal members, leaders from the two sides shook hands Monday over an agreement they say will help them communicate and cooperate more effectively.

In May, deputies fatally shot three members of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians in Riverside County . What followed was a verbal war. Tribal Chairman Robert "Bobby" Salgado described the agency as an invading army. Sheriff Stanley Sniff suggested the chairman should do a better job of controlling tribal members. Both sides blamed the other for rising tensions and demanded the other tone down the fiery rhetoric.

Tribal leaders and sheriff's officials began negotiating shortly after shootings, meeting behind closed doors almost every week. The five-page cooperation agreement signed in front of reporters and a handful of tribal members was lauded by Salgado as "a start of better communication."

Relations between the 900-member tribe and the department have been strained since the shootings and a series of police pursuits that ended with gunfire on the reservation east of San Jacinto .

On May 12, deputies killed Joseph Arres, 36, and Tamara Angela Hurtado, 29, in a gunfight in a remote section of the reservation. SWAT officers, who said they were fired upon by Arres or Hurtado, shot the two multiple times.

Four days earlier, deputies shot and killed 26-year-old Eli Morillo after they went to investigate gunfire on a remote part of the reservation and found themselves under attack, authorities said.

Agreement Details

As part of the agreement, both sides agree to:

Identify specific individuals who will serve as the point of contact for the other side.

Meet regularly and keep lines of communication open.

Create a contingency plan for situations in which reservation residents are displaced by disaster or criminal incidents.

Support efforts to enroll reservation residents on a reverse 911 system, which would allow officials to reach as many people as possible in case of evacuation.

Help with the development of cultural training for deputies that outlines tribal history and practices. Tribal members will take part in the citizen's academy run by the department to learn about law enforcement practices.

Sniff said the agreement will have no practical effect on how deputies respond to 911 calls or on tactical actions taken when an officer is in jeopardy. But the agreement is an important step, he said.

At one point during the news conference, Sniff placed his arm around Salgado's shoulders and praised the longtime chairman and other tribal leaders.

Disagreement Over Security

While the two sides presented a united front, some issues remain unresolved.

Salgado said they disagree on the Sheriff's Department's authority under public law 280 -- the rule that allows the agency to patrol and enforce state law on the reservation. Salgado initially declined to elaborate, but after being pressed by reporters, he said deputies needed to get permission before proceeding onto the reservation unless they are responding to emergencies.

Sniff said deputies have the authority to respond to calls for service on the reservation without seeking permission.

Salgado said the tribe is interested in elevating its security force to make the group its own police force. It would be certified by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, he said, making it possible to enforce federal and tribal laws.

The security force now patrols the reservation, but its members are not armed and do not have the authority to make arrests.

Sniff pointed out that before any tribal police agency could replace the Sheriff's Department and take over patrolling the reservation, it would need to meet the same state requirements as other police departments.

Dispute With San Jacinto

Monday's agreement will have little effect on a dispute between the tribe and the neighboring city of San Jacinto , where officials oppose the tribe's plan to expand the reservation.

The tribe wants to annex hundreds of acres that it owns along Soboba Road, northwest of Lake Park Drive , to its 3,171-acre reservation. The annexation would give the land federal trust status so a casino could be built on it. The new casino would replace the tribe's existing gambling facility.

The tribe wants to build a 90,000-square-foot casino with a 70,000-square-foot gambling floor, as well as a 300-room hotel, a multilevel parking garage, a tribal fire station and other amenities.

"Unless and until the City Council can be assured of the personal safety of the residents of San Jacinto, the public who would be visiting the Reservation, and the Tribe's own residents, any expansion of the Reservation would be inappropriate," stated a letter, dated June 23 and signed by San Jacinto Mayor Jim Ayres, that was sent to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

City officials said last week that an agreement for cooperation between the tribe and the Sheriff's Department would not be sufficient to allay their safety concerns, but declined to be specific about what they want.

James Fletcher, superintendent with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, who signed the agreement as a witness, said Monday that the city needs to outline its concerns and meet with tribal officials.

The city needs to understand the previous violence involved actions of individuals, rather than the entire tribe, Fletcher said.

Reach Jose Arballo at 951-368-9280 or jarballo@PE.com

Dec. 2, 2007: A CHP officer trades gunfire with a person inside a car during a high-speed chase from Interstate 10 in Yucaipa to the Soboba reservation. The chase ends off Castile Canyon Road , where a CHP officer fires at the car. No one is injured.

Dec. 28, 2007 : Tribal member Gordon Davis Arres, 26, is shot and killed by a Riverside County sheriff's deputy after two deputies stopped the vehicle in which he was riding in Hemet .. Arres jumped out and ran.

Dec. 31, 2007 : Two deputies suffer minor injuries when shots are fired at their patrol car during a vehicle pursuit that ends near Castile Canyon and Soboba roads.

April 15, 2008 : Shots are fired at police officers near the Soboba Casino; no one is injured. Hemet police officers were pursuing a pickup traveling up to 100 mph.

May 8: Deputies shoot and kill Eli Morillo, 26, after they were sent to investigate gunfire on a remote part of the reservation and came under attack, authorities said.

May 12: Deputies kill Joseph Arres, 36, and Tamara Angela Hurtado, 29, in a gunbattle in a remote part of the reservation. The two tribal members were shot multiple times by SWAT officers, who said they had been fired upon.