Tribal law enforcement officers; powers and duties
Wis. Stat. § 165.92
in effect(1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Reservation lands” means all lands within the exterior boundaries of an Indian reservation in this state.
(b) “Tribal law enforcement officer” means a person who is employed by a tribe for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime and enforcing the tribe’s laws or ordinances and who is authorized by the tribe to make arrests of Indian persons for violations of the tribe’s laws or ordinances.
(c) “Tribe” means a federally recognized Indian tribe or band in this state.
(d) “Trust lands” means any lands in this state held in trust by the United States government for the benefit of a tribe or a member of a tribe.
(2) Powers and duties.
(a) A tribal law enforcement officer who meets the requirements of s. 165.85 (4) (a) 1., 2., and 7. shall have the same powers to enforce the laws of the state and to make arrests for violations of such laws that sheriffs have, including powers granted to sheriffs under ss. 59.27 and 59.28 and under the common law, and shall perform the duties accepted under s. 165.85 (3) (c).
(b) Except as provided in par. (c) and s. 175.40, the powers and duties described under par. (a) may be exercised or performed by a tribal law enforcement officer only on the reservation of the tribe or on trust lands held for the tribe or for a member of the tribe that employs the officer.
(c) Any tribal law enforcement officer making an arrest under the authority of this subsection may transport the arrested person to the jail or other detention facility of the county in which the arrest took place or to another jail or detention facility agreed upon by the tribe and the county in which the arrest took place.
(3) Liability. Except as provided in s. 175.40 (6m) (c) 1. and unless otherwise provided in a joint program plan under s. 165.90 (2) or an agreement between a political subdivision of this state and a tribe, the tribe that employs a tribal law enforcement officer is liable for all acts and omissions of the officer while acting within the scope of his or her employment, and neither the state nor any political subdivision of the state may be held liable for any action of the officer taken under the authority of sub. (2).
(3m) Requirements. No tribal law enforcement officer may exercise or perform the powers or duties described under sub. (2) (a) unless all of the following apply:
(a) One of the following:
1. The governing body of the tribe that employs the officer adopts and has in effect a resolution that includes a statement that the tribe waives its sovereign immunity to the extent necessary to allow the enforcement in the courts of this state of its liability under sub. (3) or another resolution that the department of justice determines will reasonably allow the enforcement in the courts of this state of the tribe’s liability under sub. (3).
2. The tribe or tribal law enforcement agency that employs the officer maintains liability insurance that does all of the following:
a. Covers the tribal law enforcement agency for its liability under sub. (2) and s. 66.0513.
b. Has a limit of coverage not less than $2,000,000 for any occurrence.
c. Provides that the insurer, in defending a claim against the policy, may not raise the defense of sovereign immunity of the insured up to the limits of the policy.
(b) The tribe or tribal law enforcement agency that employs the officer has provided to the department of justice a copy of the resolution under par. (a) 1. or proof of insurance under par. (a) 2., and the department of justice has posted either a copy of the document or notice of the document on the Internet site it maintains for exchanging information with law enforcement agencies.
(4) Deputization by sheriff. Nothing in this section limits the authority of a county sheriff to depute a tribal law enforcement officer under s. 59.265 (1) (d), including the authority to grant law enforcement and arrest powers outside the territory described in sub. (2) (b). Deputization of a tribal law enforcement officer by a sheriff shall not limit the powers and duties granted to the officer by sub. (2).
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/165.92Fetched: 10/7/2026