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11/21/03
On 11/20,
Director Mueller joined President Tex Hall and the membership
of the National Congress of American Indians in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, at their 60th annual convention, dedicated
to a theme of "Sovereign Nations, One Enduring Voice."
His
message? What the FBI is doing ...to improve
the safety and security of Indian nations. ...to address
concerns that terrorists might cross into the United
States through Indian Country borderlands. ...to strengthen
partnerships with tribal police, the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, the Indian Health Service, Native American organizations
like NCAI, and Native American communities.
What's
the history of these partnerships? In fact,
we have a long history together. Back in the 1920s, for
example, agents were sent to Oklahoma to protect members
of the Osage Indian Tribe from swindlers who wouldn't
stop at murder to steal their oil-rich lands.
At that
time, agents often covered their territory on horseback...
but cars sure made the job easier, especially for agents
responsible for 25,000 square-mile jurisdictions. A couple
of their stories made it into the FBI employee magazine.
Like the one In 1952 about an agent in North Dakota who
was forced off the road into a ditch by stampeding cattle.
He told how he'd been rescued by a Native American driving
a team of horses...who would only accept one of the two
dollars he was offered in thanks. An agent in Arizona in
the 1970s talked about hauling heavy, suitcase-size dictaphone
machines in 100-degree heat for casework.
Our
jurisdiction in "Indian Country" evolved as partnerships
with other agencies -- primarily investigating major felony
crimes in concert with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office
of Law Enforcement Services, but also working with other
law enforcement agencies on criminal matters, depending
on state and local laws. In 1994, the first Safe Trails
Task Force was created, made up of 12 Navajo investigators,
with superb knowledge of Navajo customs, language, and
geography, and five FBI agents -- all focused expressly
on reducing violent crimes on the Navajo reservation.
Safe
Trails in the 21st century. Today 100 agents
-- carrying laptops, cell phones, and all the latest
technology in 4-wheel drive vehicles -- are dedicated
full time in support of Indian Country investigations.
They work shoulder to shoulder with Native Americans
and other federal agents and police in 12 Safe Trails
Task Forces, targeting violent crimes, drug trafficking,
gaming violations, and other crimes that destabilize
Native American communities, each agency bringing its
own special expertise to the job. In 2003 alone, they
initiated over 1,700 investigations. Beyond these, the
full weight of our 56 field offices open investigations
into stolen Native American artifacts and other precious
ethnographic treasures.
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