On Wednesday, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said the Sacramento Regional Missing and Murdered Indigenous People task force is getting bigger and more muscular, adding the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Amador County partners and the Ione Band of Miwok Indians. The announcement came at a press conference marking MMIP Awareness Day and followed a two-day MMIP investigations training for prosecutors and law enforcement in the region.
Ho cast the expansion as a way to shore up cross-jurisdictional investigations and get answers to families more quickly. Per a post by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office on X, the office said the move “strengthens our ability to collaborate, investigate, and deliver justice for indigenous victims and their families.”
New partners and training
Officials at the event said the new partners are meant to bridge long-standing gaps between tribal, county and federal authorities that can stall or fracture investigations. The DA’s office also hosted a two-day MMIP Investigations training May 4–5 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Wheatland, described as a session for “tribal members, law enforcement, and prosecutors” to deepen cultural competency and sharpen investigative skills, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Roots of the regional task force
Sacramento launched the regional MMIP task force last year with Wilton Rancheria and the county sheriff, aiming to reopen cold cases and improve data sharing, as reported by The Sacramento Bee. That earlier memorandum of understanding created the blueprint advocates say is now making it easier to plug in more tribes and outside agencies.
Federal backing and the BIA’s role
The local expansion is landing just as the U.S. Department of the Interior rolls out a national Indian Country Violent Crime Task Force, announced May 5, which is expected to bring more federal resources and coordination to tribal cases. The Interior said the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services will lead a coordinated push to bolster investigations, send in mobile enforcement teams and concentrate investigative resources, per a Department of the Interior press release.
What this could change locally
Officials say the addition of federal and Amador County partners should help cut down on jurisdictional confusion under Public Law 280, move information between agencies faster and give families answers on a shorter timeline. The move fits into a broader county-level effort to create MMIP units and coordinate investigations, according to the National Association of Counties.
Next steps and regional spread
The DA’s post also pointed out that San Diego County leaders are in the process of setting up their own MMIP task force, a sign this regional model could spread across California. San Diego has already been running MMIP coordination and training exercises with tribal partners in recent years, according to local MMIP resources and training groups such as MMIPSD…