Tribal and law enforcement partners hold the first MMIP Collaborative convening at Pala
District Attorney Summer Stephan joined tribal leaders and law enforcement partners at Pala Resort on Monday for the first convening of the San Diego County Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Collaborative since its founding agreement was signed in May. The Pala Band of Mission Indians hosted and planned the gathering, and a second convening is set for March 2027.
PALA: Six months after its founding agreement was signed in Sacramento, the San Diego County Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Collaborative has met as a body. District Attorney Summer Stephan joined tribal leaders and law enforcement partners on Monday, November 9, at Pala Resort for the first convening of the collaborative since the memorandum of understanding was signed in May 2026, according to the District Attorney's office. The Pala Band of Mission Indians hosted and planned the gathering.
Five partners make up the collaborative: the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the Jamul Indian Village and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The District Attorney's account of the convening carries remarks from Pala Band Chairman Robert Smith and Jamul Indian Village Chairwoman Erica Pinto, the two tribal chairpersons who announced the collaborative alongside the District Attorney and the Sheriff in May.
What the agreement covers
The memorandum set out how the partners would coordinate more closely, share information and collaborate, tribal governments and law enforcement agencies on the same footing, and it committed them to working across jurisdictional lines when they investigate and try to solve cases involving Indigenous victims. The founding releases name the case scope: murder and missing persons cases, minors being a particular focus, along with kidnapping and human trafficking.
The Sheriff's office, a founding member of the collaborative, described the design of the agreement at the signing in practical terms: the memorandum is meant to make reporting easier, responses faster and collaboration seamless, and to remove doubts about where to turn when someone goes missing. The signing itself was held at Capitol Park in Sacramento, in front of the Native American Monument, during Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Week, with Sheriff Kelly Martinez among the leaders who signed.
A second convening is already set
The District Attorney's office notes that Monday's gathering took place during Native American Heritage Month, the month set aside for recognizing and honoring the history, culture and contributions of Indigenous peoples. The collaborative plans to hold its second convening in March 2027, to continue the discussions and advance the coordination work among its partners.
The convening marks the point where the collaborative moves from its founding document to a working rhythm: a first meeting hosted by one of its tribal partners, a second already scheduled, and a case scope that runs from missing minors to human trafficking across the jurisdictions its five members separately police, prosecute and govern.
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