Blackfeet Community College announces new website to report missing Indigenous persons

Blackfeet Community College announced Thursday the launch of a website, which will allow people to report a person missing.

Created in partnership with Montana’s Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, the website can be accessed at www.mmipmt.com. 

The task force reported in September that there were 175 active missing persons cases in Montana. Though Native Americans account for 6.7% of the state's population, they comprised 25% of Montana's missing persons population at the time. 

After hearing directly from tribal members through a series of community meetings, the task force learned many people felt intimidated or unsure of the reporting process when a loved one goes missing.

The database is intended to provide families with a safe, judgment-free reporting system that compiles information and communicates with law enforcement.

The new website will allow families and friends to complete a contact form about the missing person. When the form is submitted, all local law enforcement will receive a notification.

Because there is insufficient information on missing Indigenous persons cases in general, the website will also collect data and share information with appropriate law enforcement agencies on the tribal, county, state and federal levels. 

At a September task force meeting, Ernie Weyand, missing Indigenous persons coordinator for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said data collection is critical in addressing the missing Indigenous persons epidemic. 

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"We have to understand what we have in that data and where the gaps are to help inform a national response," he said. 

The website will offer additional resources on missing persons, options to share information on social media and a platform for people to submit anonymous tips. The site will initially be offered in Browning, but other tribal communities will be added within one year. 

The project was funded in part through the Looping in Native Communities (LINC) Act, which created a network grant of $25,000 for tribal colleges and reservations.

Sponsored by Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, Senate Bill 312 also created the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons task force. AT&T provided a match donation of $25,000 for the database. 

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“One of the greatest thrills you get in the legislature is when an idea progresses along and finally becomes something tangible,” Busby said in a statement. “LINC has been one of those bills which will have a long-lasting impact on many communities. ... This is a large step in the right direction.” 

The Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force presented four draft bills (below), which passed out of the State-Tribal Relations Committee. The bills are not finalized, as their apportions still need to be approved. 

1. Establish a missing persons review commission, which would identify trends in missing persons cases, educate the public and recommend policies to encourage collaboration among jurisdictions. The commission would not exceed 18 members. The task force expected an $85,000 expense. 
2. Establish a missing persons response team training grant program, which would help fund training opportunities for community-based missing persons response teams. The task force expected a $61,000 expense for the creation of five response teams that would hold two trainings per year. 
3. Extend Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force two years to June 2023.
4. Extend Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force and Looping in Native Communities grant program to enhance access to a missing persons database on reservations. The committee expects this would incur a $50,000 expense

Blackfeet Community College invites the public to join them in celebrating the launch of the website Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. with an online concert. Details on the concert can be found on the new website at www.mmipmt.com. 

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Nora Mabie covers Indigenous communities for the Great Falls Tribune. She can be reached at nmabie@greatfallstribune.com. Follow her on Facebook @NoraMabieJournalist or on Twitter @NoraMabie. 

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