The first of 11 FBI agents set to help with existing cases related to violent crimes in so-called Indian Country is already here.
Kevin Smith with the FBI’s Phoenix office said these agents will rotate throughout the state, assisting with existing cases over the next six months.
“They're an extra pair of hands or extra pair of feet and they bring as much Indian Country knowledge as they can to help our investigators be more efficient,” said Smith, “maybe work quicker on some things and get some things done with the extra help that we might not have had the time to do initially.”
For example, Smith said that if an investigator gets pulled away, the visiting agent can step in.
The focus will be on advancing investigations including missing people, homicides, sexual assaults and crimes against children. Smith described them as a priority for the agency, especially here in Arizona.
“It is staggering,” he said. “And I can tell you without getting the specific numbers that we have hundreds of cases open in Arizona alone.”
Which he emphasized isn’t for any lack of interagency cooperation, time, or attention on them.
“One of the big issues that we have and complications is just the sheer geographic space that we have to cover,” said Smith. “It is not unusual for an FBI agent in any one of our offices to get a call in the middle of the night and have to drive two, three, four hours to a crime scene that might not even have an address.”
Smith said the extra hands over the next several months will be a huge help.
