Polson chief authors books on Public Law 280 and Indian law

Weighty stacks of “Odyssey of the Flathead Indian Reservation and Public Law 280” and “An Odyssey of American Indian Case Law” sat beside George Simpson as he signed copies last Friday at the North Lake County Public Library in Polson.

Simpson, who is Polson’s 28th Police Chief in addition to being an author, researched and wrote the two books during the past two years. He opened his remarks with an apology to his family for spending so much time “locked” in the family’s home office and thanked them.

“Believe it or not, I set out to write one book,” Simpson said. When he ended up with 1,400 pages, he was afraid no one would read the book but use it for a doorstop.

“So I separated the law and the stories into two books.”

As for his sources, Simpson said he’s talked to 32 people, 16 tribal and 16 non-tribal.

“I only wanted to interview people I liked and trusted, and I didn’t want to interview politicians,” he said, although he did interview former Governor Marc Racicot and former Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Vernon Finley, but not while they were running for or serving in office.

Local photographer Victor Perez’s photos were chosen by Simpson as cover art. The tipis were in Pablo, and the buffalo live on the National Bison Range.

“An Odyssey of American Indian Case Law” is a legal textbook written for the lay person, and covers 98 cases, Simpson explained. The cases run from 1803 to 2024, and the format is simple: “This is the case, questions for the court, how the court ruled, and analysis,” he said.

Then there are the stories in “Odyssey of the Flathead Indian Reservation & Public Law 280.”

One is about Polson’s first Chief of Police, Chief Hern – portrayed in a photograph as a huge man with a stern look on his face. Hern became police chief in 1910, served for two years, and then returned to office in 1922.

According to Simpson’s book, Hern was at the Lake County courthouse and as he extended his arm to pass a file to the judge, his .32 revolver slipped from his shoulder holster and “plummeted to the floor.”

So as not to be a spoiler, turn to page 262 to see what happened, and be sure to read the author’s note on page 263.

As Simpson makes clear on page 2, the views expressed in the book are entirely his own. This is all me, and totally based off my research.”

His advice for purchasers or library patrons who borrow his books is ”to evaluate the content presented critically. This book aims to stimulate thoughtful consideration of various perspectives and sources of information when forming opinions or making decisions about the criminal justice system, Indian and non-Indian law, and public policy. Active engagement with the material is critical to comprehensively understanding the subject matter.”

Simpson has some books available for purchase, the North Lake County Library District has copies to lend, and the books are available on Amazon.