Law-enforcement agencies throughout New Mexico attended a two-day class intended to solve more cases involving missing or murdered indigenous persons.
The class, for which law enforcement gathered Tuesday at the University of New Mexico, is part of the FBI’s initiative to make sure the various law-enforcement agencies are sharing information through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)..
“The training is to make sure that everything we’re doing related to NCIC is being done on the same page,” Special Agent in Charge, FBI Albuquerque Office, Raul Bujanda told KRQE.
The NCIC, created in 1967, is a criminal records database that houses information on stolen property, missing or wanted persons, and domestic violence protection orders. Investigators can also access criminal histories and the National Sex Offender Registry.
Once all the law-enforcement agencies are connected, the sharing of information allows investigators to focus on the more critical parts of a case.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recognized the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by Native Americans and the high rates of indigenous persons reported missing. According to the DOJ, Native Americans face some of the highest rates of violence in the country, experiencing violent crime at higher rates than the national average. Native women and girls experience disproportionately high rates of sexual and gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence. The DOJ also said Native men also experience higher rates of violence than other demographic groups. LGBTQ and Two-Spirit people in Tribal communities are also often targets of violence.
The training is expected to be conducted annually.