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FBI expands Operation Not Forgotten deployment to tribal communities
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Summary
The FBI says its Operation Not Forgotten initiative, launched in 2023, expanded this year to a six-month deployment that placed 58 special agents and 6 intelligence personnel in multiple field offices to help clear backlogs and investigate violent crimes in Indian country; the program worked on more than 600 investigations, the bureau said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said this year’s iteration of Operation Not Forgotten (ONF) expanded to a six-month deployment to support investigations in Indian country and to provide additional victim services. The podcast episode of Inside the FBI described deployments of 58 special agents and 6 intelligence personnel to field offices in Albuquerque, Denver, Detroit, Jackson (Miss.), Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland (Ore.), Seattle and Salt Lake City.
Why it matters: The operation targets unresolved violent-crime cases that meet federal jurisdictional thresholds, with a stated priority on cases involving violence against women and children and on missing or murdered Indigenous persons. The FBI framed ONF as a collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and tribal law enforcement to address complex caseloads and reduce investigative backlogs.
The legal framework: The podcast identified the General Crimes Act and the Major Crimes Act as the primary federal statutes that enable FBI involvement in certain reservation cases. The episode summarized the three conditions the FBI uses to determine jurisdiction: the act must be within the FBI’s jurisdiction (a federal crime or a qualified non-federal crime), the incident must have occurred on a reservation where the FBI has jurisdiction, and the perpetrator, victim or both must be an American Indian or Alaska Native.
On the scope and timeline: "Longer than it's ever been," said Darren Cox, identified in the episode as a former deputy assistant director of the bureau’s criminal investigative division who now leads the bureau’s Washington field office, describing the extended deployment. The episode said the operation was extended from prior temporary assignments of about 60–90 days to a six‑month effort this year, and that ONF has worked on more than 600 investigations.
Partnerships and resources: The podcast said ONF now includes cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and emphasized collaboration with federal, state, local and tribal partners. The episode directs listeners to fbi.gov/indiancountry, fbi.gov/notforgotten and fbi.gov/mmip for more information and resources related to investigations and victim services.
What the FBI said about leadership support: The episode quoted Darren Cox saying the operation is "very impactful" and noted that "Director Patel has committed to providing additional resources to tribal lands and tribal communities," as stated in the transcript; the episode did not specify further details about Patel’s title or provide additional identifying information for Patel.
What remains unchanged: The podcast did not announce any new statutory changes, formal policy shifts, or legally binding agreements. It also did not specify exact case counts by location, the identities of individual investigations, or the dates for specific follow-up actions.
Next steps: The episode directed listeners to publicly accessible FBI web pages for further details on ONF and related efforts. No formal decisions or actions requiring local approvals were announced in the episode.
