Thank you for
that introduction. It is a pleasure to be here. I did try to attend
the Congress last year, but unfortunately was unable to do so. I
certainly appreciate the opportunity to address you this year, at
NCAI's 60th annual convention.
As you know, November marks the annual celebration of Indian Heritage
Month. And, before I start talking about the FBI, I do want to take
a moment to reflect upon the vast contributions Native Americans
have made to our country.
As I am sure many of you know, more than 55,000 Native Americans
served in the U.S. Armed Forces in both World Wars. Thousands more
served in Korea and Vietnam and are serving today in Iraq. And,
Native Americans, per capita, have the highest rate of military
service and are among the most highly decorated veterans. As a former
Marine, I have always been impressed by the legendary service of
the Navajo Code Talkers. These men were vital to our victory in
the Pacific, and they kept their contribution secret for decades
afterwards. Native American women have also risked their lives for
our country. Tragically, the first American woman to die in the
war in Iraq was Lori Piestewa, a Hopi from Tuba City, Arizona. She
was a homegrown hero who was mourned by the Hopi, by the Navajo,
and by the country as a whole. Her courage and her sacrifice are
an inspiration to all of us.
Today, I want to give you a short overview of the FBI’s role
in Indian Country and tell you what we are doing to try to improve
the safety and security of your nations. Chief Joseph of the Nez
Perce once said: “It does not require many words to speak
the truth” – perhaps implying that some people talk
too much. I will try today to take his advice to heart and keep
my remarks somewhat brief.
The FBI has federal law enforcement responsibility on more than
200 Indian Reservations. The FBI’s Indian Country Unit at
Headquarters was established in the mid-1990’s to address
that responsibility. As many of you know, its mission is to develop
programs and strategies to address criminal matters that fall within
the FBI’s jurisdiction and to support the efforts of other
law enforcement personnel working in Indian Country.
The FBI currently has more than 100 Special Agents working full-time
in support of Indian Country investigative matters. In 2003, those
agents initiated more than 1,700 cases.
As you can understand, after the September 11 attacks, the FBI had
to shift many agents out of drug investigations and other areas
to pursue counterterrorism investigations. But one area we have
not cut back on is our allocation of resources and our commitment
to Indian Country.
The FBI is actually a very lean organization, with only 12,000 agents
around the world. That is less than one-third of the number of police
officers in New York City alone. Since we cannot be everywhere,
we have to focus our resources where they are needed the most. In
Indian Country, our first priority is homicides, followed closely
by child sexual and physical assaults, and, third, other violent
crimes. Most of our resources are devoted to these three areas,
and I can tell you that, with your cooperation and assistance, we
have a high conviction rate. We believe that concentrating on violent,
personal crime is the most important contribution the FBI can make
to the safety and stability of our Native American communities.
The remainder of our resources in Indian Country is focused on drugs
and gangs, the theft of tribal funds and corruption, gaming violations,
civil rights complaints, and property crimes.
The FBI is committed to addressing these issues, but we cannot do
it alone. We are working closely with you and with other federal
agencies to pool our resources and maximize our impact.
One of our most important efforts is the Safe Trails Task Forces.
Initiated in 1994, these task forces combat the growth of violent
crime in Indian Country. They bring together representatives from
the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
tribal police departments, and state and local law enforcement agencies.
Together, these officers and agents fight crime, drugs, and corruption.
We have a total of 12 such task forces across the country, including
two that we just added in September. These are funded by the FBI,
and they are a good start. But our goal is to expand the task forces
even further in order to have a greater impact on violent crime
and the sale and distribution of illegal drugs.
I mentioned earlier that the investigation of child sexual and physical
abuse is among our top priorities in Indian Country. Let me give
you an example of how we are working together to address this priority.
Last year, our Billings, Montana office received information that
a former Air Force officer had abused a nine-year-old girl. Along
with the BIA’s Office of Law Enforcement Services, we executed
a search warrant at the suspect's home, which was on the border
of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Agents found child
pornography in plain view and on encrypted files on the suspect's
computer. While some of these images had been downloaded from the
Internet, others had been manufactured by the suspect himself. With
this evidence, we arrested Jeffrey Speelman. He recently pled guilty
to sexual abuse and the possession of child pornography.
Although Speelman will be sentenced in December, our involvement
does not end there. We are still working to identify other possible
victims. And we will do all we can to help those victims, as well.
We have a total of 121 victim specialists around the country. Thirty-one
of those – 25 percent of our entire cadre of victim specialists
– are assigned exclusively to Indian Country. And, next month,
in partnership with the Tohono O'odham Nation, we will be opening
a new child forensic interviewing center in Sells, Arizona. The
Nation is providing the building, and we are providing the infrastructure
and the start-up costs. The Tohono O'odham Reservation Children's
House, or TORCH, will provide a comfortable place for child victims
to feel safe while being interviewed and while starting their treatment
cycle.
Another example of our commitment is the FBI Laboratory’s
Indian Country Task Force, which is devoted solely to processing
evidence from Indian Country cases. We established the task force
in June 2000 to reduce the processing time for evidence in Indian
Country investigations. Tribes can now submit evidence directly
to our lab and get results back quickly. The task force has reduced
the processing time for DNA evidence from nearly a year to 60 days
or less.
We are also addressing tribal concerns about criminal activity at
Indian gaming establishments. As I understand it, there are currently
more than 300 such gaming facilities around the country, bringing
in total revenues of nearly 13 billion dollars. That is more than
Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined. Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory
Act, the FBI has jurisdiction over criminal acts directly related
to casino gaming on all Indian reservations.
We recently established a working group to identify and direct resources
to address criminal violations. This group includes FBI Special
Agents and representatives from several other Federal agencies.
A number of investigations have already been initiated.
We have also increased law enforcement training for tribal police.
Since 1997, we have trained close to 4,000 Indian Country law enforcement
officers and support personnel. Last year alone, we trained more
than 1,200. That number includes specialized training to law enforcement
officers and community leaders on topics such as Native American
youth gangs and the effects of victimization. We try to tailor our
training to the needs of individual communities, and I want to encourage
tribes with any specific training needs to contact our Indian Country
Unit. I also want to thank the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office
of Law Enforcement Services for contributing to this effort by providing
funding and by sharing their instructors.
Finally, everyone in our country is concerned with homeland security.
Over the last two years, we in the FBI, along with our law enforcement
and intelligence counterparts, have identified, disrupted, and neutralized
hundreds of terrorist threats. By working together with our law
enforcement partners around the world, we have broken up terrorist
cells from Buffalo to Seattle and from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia.
We have conducted over 70 investigations into terrorist money trails
and frozen more than 125 million dollars in assets. But the war
is not over. Repeated terrorist attacks around the world have underscored
the deadly threat posed by those with the desire and the ability
to kill Americans.
I know that tribes along the Mexican and Canadian borders are particularly
worried about terrorists crossing into the United States through
Indian Country. I know that there are concerns that the same open
borders used by illegal aliens in search of work could also provide
access to terrorists. The Tohono O’odham tribe did an excellent
job of bringing this issue to the Federal government’s attention
with a videotape showing illegal aliens easily crossing into the
United States from Mexico.
While other agencies have the primary responsibility for these border
issues, the FBI still has a responsibility to include tribes in
our national counterterrorism efforts. With this in mind, we recently
created a working group to address the homeland security concerns
of tribal law enforcement and to ensure that they receive the intelligence
they need to protect Native American communities. As Americans,
we must all work together to protect our country.
I know that yesterday many of you attended a panel session on homeland
security and emergency preparedness. We must recognize that protecting
the homeland today requires an international effort and an extensive
network of partnerships.
Technology has made the world smaller. Cell-phones and the Internet
have made it possible to access any spot in the world electronically
in a matter of seconds. Modern airline transportation has made it
possible to be there physically in a matter of hours. In this environment,
the traditional distinctions between organized crime, cyber crime,
and terrorism have broken down. Organized crime in the United States
may launder money for terrorists in the Middle East. Credit card
fraud may be used to collect money for the Russian mafia in Moscow
or for al Qaeda operatives anywhere in the world.
Because criminals and terrorists now operate at every level ––
local, regional, global –– we have to fight back at
every level. One of our most important missions since 9-11 has been
to strengthen our partnerships at home. More than ever, we know
that the FBI can only achieve success through an extensive network
of partnerships and alliances.
That is why we have strengthened our relationships with our partners
in the CIA and the rest of the United States Intelligence Community.
That is why we now have 46 international offices around the world,
in locations from Riyadh to Rome and Tokyo to Tel Aviv. And that
is why we will continue to develop our strategic partnerships with
tribal police departments, the BIA, the Indian Health Service, the
National Native American Law Enforcement Association, and, of course,
the National Congress of American Indians. By working together,
we can have a tremendous impact in Indian Country and across the
United States.
As I speak, Native Americans, both in the U.S. and overseas, are
risking their lives in service to this country. More than two hundred
years ago, when addressing King George III, Mohawk Chief Joseph
Brant said, “No person among us desires any other reward for
performing a brave and worthwhile action, but the consciousness
of having served his nation.” This is just as true today as
it was then.
The men and women of the FBI are proud to be your partners. I am
honored to have had the opportunity to talk to you about that partnership
today. I encourage anyone who may have any questions, and most particularly
anyone who might be interested in a career with the FBI, to stop
by our recruiting booth. We need you. We want to hear from you,
and we are eager to work with you to make our country a safer place
in which to live. Thank you for having me, and God bless you.
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