WASHINGTON - In the longest and most extensive national deployment of FBI resources to address crime in Indian Country, the Justice Department announced this week that it will send FBI personnel across the country to investigate unresolved violent crimes, including cases involving missing and murdered Native Americans. Over the next six months, 60 FBI personnel will be deployed in rotating 90-day assignments to help with the investigations.

“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Native American communities continue to face disproportionately high crime rates. As of the start of Fiscal Year 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program was handling around 4,300 open investigations, according to the Justice Department. These include more than 900 death investigations, 1,000 cases of child abuse, and more than 500 incidents of domestic violence and adult sexual abuse.

“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.

During Operation Not Forgotten, FBI personnel will collaborate with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit and use the latest forensic evidence processing tools.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota, alongside our federal, state, and tribal law enforcement partners, has for decades been fiercely committed to responding to violent crime in Indian country,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “These additional resources will aid in our effort to hold offenders accountable and achieve justice on behalf of victims.”

FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The initiative will also involve close coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.