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VIOLENT CRIMES
The Violent Crime/Major Offenders Program in the Indianapolis Division is responsible for investigating
violent crimes which include bank robberies, kidnappings, fugitives, crimes against children, interstate
theft, and government reservation crimes.
Fugitives
To address fugitive matters, the Indianapolis Violent Crime/Major Offender Fugitive Task Force was
created in 1992. The task force is a multiagency effort to identify, locate, and apprehend fugitives
wanted for the most serious crimes of violence and drug related offenses. For more information, visit
our Task Force page.
Bank Robberies
Although bank robberies have a high priority in the Violent Crimes Program, statistically, the number
of reported bank robberies has declined. By way of comparison, in 1997, 7,876 bank robberies were
reported nationwide with 148 occurring in Indiana compared to 1999 when 6,599 bank robberies were
reported nationwide with 95 of those occurring in Indiana. The Indianapolis Division continues to
aggressively respond to all bank robberies which are usually worked jointly with state and local law
enforcement who also have jurisdiction in these matters.
Crimes Against Children
The Violent Crimes program also addresses crimes against children matters where distribution of child
pornography via the Internet is the primary area of concern. The
"Innocent Images" initiative focuses on identifying individuals who (1) possess and distribute child pornography over the Internet and (2) who
seek to sexually exploit minor children by luring them into personal meetings over the Internet.
Also included in this sub-program is the crime of parental kidnapping which involves a
non-custodial parent removing his/her minor child outside the State of Indiana or outside the United States without
the consent of the custodial parent.
Interstate Theft
The Violent Crimes program in Indianapolis also addresses interstate theft matters. Interstate theft
could be a significant crime problem since Indianapolis is "the crossroads of America" with the
convergence of several interstate freeways through Indianapolis. Indianapolis is also home to several
manufacturers, distribution centers, warehouse facilities, trucking terminals, and railroad yards. In
spite of this, Indianapolis sees very little in Interstate theft due in large part to diligent liaison and an
aggressive and proactive deterrent initiative by business and law enforcement.
Crimes on a Government Reservation
The FBI is responsible for investigating crimes that occur on a government reservation. The majority of
these crimes are generated almost exclusively from the U.S. Penitentiary at Terre Haute, Indiana, and
generally involve attempts to smuggle narcotics into the prison or violence among inmates.
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