The following is a press release written by Christine Bavender for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
FBI Indianapolis is participating in the first-of-its-kind Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which coordinates law enforcement efforts nationwide to crush violent crime. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are leading efforts to target sophisticated cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and transnational gangs whose list of crimes include homicide, kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion, and smuggling drugs across our borders.
“The Homeland Security Task Force is a vital initiative to protect the American people and dismantle dangerous transnational criminal organizations. Through unprecedented coordination, HSI and our law enforcement partners will target drug cartels and other terrorist organizations to safeguard communities across the nation. This unified effort reflects our unwavering commitment to keeping America safe,” said Matthew J. Scarpino, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago.
The task force rallies dozens of federal agencies as well as state and local partners across 50 states and territories.
“No single agency can tackle the scale and complexity of the threats we face alone,” said Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The Homeland Security Task Force exemplifies what’s possible when federal, state, and local partners unite with purpose. Together we are confronting foreign terrorist organizations, human trafficking networks, violent drug cartels, and other transnational criminal entities and protecting our country and our fellow Hoosiers from these deadly threats. Make no mistake, we will bring every resource to bear in this fight.”
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners in defending our Nation and its people,” said M. Scott Proctor, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. “We are firmly committed to dismantling each and every criminal organization that threatens to harm our fellow citizens. The Homeland Security Task Force will ensure that such organizations and their members are brought to justice through the relentless, coordinated efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement.”
The Crossroads of America Task Force includes the following law enforcement partners:
- FBI
- HSI
- United States Attorney’s Office - Northern and Southern Districts
- ATF
- DEA
- IRS
- IMPD
- Indiana National Guard
- Indiana State Police
- HIDTA
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations
- Marion County Sheriff’s Office
- Plainfield Police Department
Through a unified framework, the Crossroads of America Homeland Security Task Force will serve as a model for protecting the homeland from evolving threats, safeguarding critical infrastructure, and enhancing national resilience.
###
