Timothy J. Racicot Acting United States Attorney for the District of Montana | Wikipedia
The U.S. Justice Department has announced a strategic initiative to allocate FBI resources nationwide for investigating unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including cases involving missing and murdered indigenous individuals.
The plan involves deploying 60 FBI personnel on rotating 90-day assignments over a six-month period. This marks the most comprehensive national deployment by the FBI towards addressing crimes in Indian Country to date. The personnel will be deployed in field offices located in Albuquerque, Denver, Detroit, Jackson (Mississippi), Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, and Salt Lake City. The FBI will collaborate with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across various jurisdictions.
"The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
United States Attorney Kurt Alme expressed support for this initiative, highlighting the ongoing efforts in Montana to find missing indigenous people and hold violent offenders accountable. He stated, "Missing and murdered indigenous people will not be forgotten."
The Department of Justice's current effort builds on Operation Not Forgotten, which started during President Trump's first term under Executive Order 13898. Over the past two years, this operation has supported investigations into more than 500 cases, leading to the recovery of child victims and several arrests and indictments.
Operation Not Forgotten expands on pre-existing initiatives aimed at addressing the issue of missing and murdered indigenous people. The Department of Justice's MMIP Regional Outreach Program will continue to support the effort by placing coordinators within U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide to assist in preventing and responding to such cases.
Indian Country continues to struggle with high crime rates and victimization levels. As of the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, the FBI's Indian Country program was handling approximately 4,300 open investigations, including numerous death and abuse cases.
"This deployment will help address this critical problem," said Alme, emphasizing the importance of ongoing coordination and support from the DOJ and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
