The FBI is back in Montana, celebrating the opening of a field office in Billings Thursday afternoon.
Officials from Montana and the FBI gathered to cut the ribbon for the office in downtown Billings.
FBI Operations Director Michael Glasheen said the office is needed because over the past five years, Montana has seen a 56 percent increase in the number of cases being investigated.
He added that while the Salt Lake City field office has been overseeing Utah, Montana and Idaho, more than half of all the investigations have actually started in Montana.
Gov. Greg Gianforte says having an office in Billings instead of Salt Lake will make a big difference in fighting crime.
"These resources are critical for murdered and missing indigenous children, for tracking the cartels, for getting fentanyl off the street. Having a law enforcement, FBI office here in Billings is going to help us make Montana safer," he said.
Glasheen added that agents in Billings will be busy working a variety of criminal cases.
"Today our agents, analysts, staff remain dedicated to this region. Investigating and mitigating threats ranging from terrorism, whether it be domestic or international terrorism. Threats across the border with Canada, counter intelligence, violent crime, cyber scams, and fraud," Glasheen said.
This is not the first FBI field office in Montana, but it's the first one in more than 30 years.
There was an office in Butte, but it closed in 1989.
