Executive Order No. 02-2025: Implementing the Nihí K’é Dóó Béédahoozinígíí Náalkaa Bikégó Naaltsoos

WHEREAS:

1. The President of the Navajo Nation serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation government with full authority to conduct, supervise and coordinate personnel and program matters. 2 N.N.C. §1005(4);
2. The President of the Navajo Nation holds the fiduciary responsibility for the proper and efficient operation of all Executive Branch offices;
3. The President shall have the enumerated power of issuing an executive order for the purpose of interpreting, implementing or giving administrative effect to statutes of the Navajo Nation in the manner set forth in such statutes. 2 N.N.C. §1005(C)(1a);
4. The Division of Public Safety is established within the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation government 2 N.N.C. §1351;
5. The Division of Family and Children Services is established within the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation government 2 N.N.C. §1651;
6. The Department of Justice is established within the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation government 2 N.N.C. §1961;
7. The Division of Health is established within the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation government 2 N.N.C. §1601;
8. An executive order shall have the force of law upon the recipient 2 N.N.C. §1005 (CX14).

THEREFORE I, Dr. Buu Nygren, President of the Navajo Nation by authority vested in me hereby issue the following Order:

1. Navajo Nation Divisions, Departments, and Programs shall implement the Nihí K’é Dóó Béédahoozinígíí Náalkaa Bikégó Naaltsoos, attached hereto, to investigate and locate missing persons in a manner that is empathetic to victims and their families and shall provide education to their staff on the best practices described therein for responding to missing person cases. Nihí K’é Dóó Béédahoozinígíí Náalkaa Bikégó Naaltsoos shall be updated from time to time. The Attorney General is directed to update Nihí K’é Dóó Béédahoozinígíí Náalkaa Bikégó Naaltsoos and has final approval authority over the updates. The Attorney General holds final approval authority, in consultation with the President.
2. The Navajo Police Departmen! the Police dispatch Section, the Criminal Investigations Department and the Department of Emergency Management, all within the Division of Public Safety shall coordinate implementation of these guidelines to improve the intake, investigation, communication, prosecution and resolution of missing person cases.
3. The Office of the Prosecutor, within the Department of Justice, with the authority to prosecute criminal offenses enumerated in Title 17 of the Navajo Nation Code and to manage the Office of Victims of Crime shall be the lead agency that liaises with the Navajo Division of Public Safety, the Division of Health and the Division for Children and Family Services to coordinate the trauma centered services that each Division provides to victims of crime and their families, from initial case response through tribal prosecution.
4. For cases charged in a Navajo Nation court and declined for federal prosecution, either verbally or in writing, the Navajo Division of Public Safety, Navajo Police Department, and Criminal Investigation Department must ensure the timely and complete transfer of all relevant federal investigative materials to the Office of the Prosecutor. This transfer shall occur automatically, without the need for formal requests or repeated follow-ups. In cases where no federal prosecution declination has been issued and the case has been charged in a Navajo Nation court, these departments shall prioritize the interests of the Navajo people and actively work to ensure that federal investigative materials are promptly transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor to support justice for missing and murdered individuals.
5. The Family Harmony Program, within the Division of Family and Children Services, shall collaborate with federal, state, and tribal agencies that provide victim services on the Navajo Nation to ensure that crime victims and their families, including those affected by missing persons cases, receive multidisciplinary services necessary for their recovery, extending beyond trauma centered services. This also requires coordination with the Diné Action Plan Advisory Council.
6. The Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services, within the Navajo Department of Health, shall provide collaborative crisis-related services to missing persons and their kin.
7. The following shall be responsible for implementing and ensuring compliance with this Order:
   1. The Division of Public Safety including but not limited to the Navajo Police Department, the Dispatch Section, Criminal Investigations Department;
   2. The Department of Health including the Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services, the Family Harmony Program;
   3. The Division for Children and Family Services;
   4. The Attorney General’s Office including the Department of Justice and the Office of the Prosecutor; and the Attorney General shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with this Order; and
   5. The Office of the President and Vice-President through the Liaison for the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives Department of Emergency Management.
8. The implementation of Nihí K’é Dóó Béédahoozinígíí Náalkaa Bikégó Naaltsoos will begin with training all Navajo Nation staff within divisions and departments involved in missing person cases. The Bureau of lndian Affairs (BIA) Missing Persons Unit is responsible for conducting training and guidance for Navajo Nation law enforcement. The Chief of Police is hereby directed to coordinate training with the BIA Missing Persons Unit.

The provisions of this Order shall be implemented consistently with the laws of the Navajo Nation and in a manner that advances the health and welfare of our Diné people.