Indian Country Partnership


November 6, 2014

The FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA, are collaborating more than ever before to address crime and provide assistance to victims on Indian reservations.


Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: The FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA, are collaborating more than ever before to address crime and provide assistance to victims on Indian reservations. I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau with FBI, This Week.

The FBI is responsible for investigating felony crime on more than 200 reservations nationwide—where American Indians suffer from homicides, violent assaults, and child sexual abuse more than other Americans. Often times in these cases, the roles of the FBI and the BIA intersect, so plans are being developed to combine their training. Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Darren Cruzan.

Darren Cruzan: Any time that you can train together, it’s going to translate into a better working relationship.

Halpern: The FBI and the BIA are also partners in a new effort to encourage American Indians to consider federal law enforcement as a career. FBI Supervisory Special Agent Sharif Hassan says working on reservations is one of the most rewarding positions he has held in the Bureau.

Sharif Hassan: Native Americans have a unique perspective, they have unique talents. I may work on the reservation, but I'm never going to fully understand what it is to live there, and we want that perspective brought to the Bureau.

Halpern: November is National Native American Heritage Month. To learn more about the FBI’s role in Indian Country, visit www.fbi.gov.

-Indian Country Crime webpage

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