When 17-year-old Faith Lindsey went missing in October 2019, the ensuing investigation brought together numerous law enforcement agencies and led to multiple searches across three Oklahoma counties.

Police work can be hours of tedium punctuated by harrowing minutes of blood pressure raising drama.

Diving into murky waters, consoling family members, controlling a robot, working with a K-9, encouraging fellow officers, and honoring the fallen are part of the job for Chickasaw Lighthorse special team members.

Up to 100,000 persons may be reported missing in the United States at any given time with as many as 600,000 reported annually, according to FBI data. The Chickasaw Nation is utilizing a broad approach to reduce this number.

Statistics are more alarming in First American communities where people are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing violence, murder or going missing. To increase public attention of missing persons, many law enforcement agencies and grassroots advocates refer to these cases collectively as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) cases. 

In many ways, 16-year-old Tony Carter is just like his Ardmore High School classmates. He loves to attend sporting events and rodeos with his family and sit under a shade tree with his grandpa when the weather is nice.

In some ways, Tony is exceptional.

Diagnosed with autism at age 2, Tony is nonverbal. Large crowds occasionally overwhelm him, and he sometimes is made to feel unwelcome by peers and adults unfamiliar with autism. 

Benjamin Horace Colbert, left, was a rough rider and U.S. Marshal. His friend, Edgar Adams, was also a rough rider. This photo was taken in September 1898 and is the cover photo for Michelle Cook’s book about Chickasaw Lighthorse Police, “Protecting Our People.” Colbert is Cook’s great-grandfather. Cook is senior staff writer for Chickasaw Press.

Ada, Okla. – Chickasaw Lighthorse Police had been protecting Chickasaw citizens for the better part of seven decades when Oklahoma became a state in 1907.