Tester urges FBI to stay in eastern Montana area

Amid increased threat of crime in eastern Montana, Senator Jon Tester is calling on the FBI to “permanently station” its two agents currently based in Sidney.

Tester told FBI Director James Comey that while the Bakken oil boom is creating new economic opportunities in the region, it is also presenting new challenges. Crime is up 32 percent in the region since 2005, including 855 percent in Roosevelt County.

Tester invited Comey to visit eastern Montana to see the situation firsthand. The Senator said he is responding to reports that the agency is considering moving the agents to North Dakota.

Tester’s letter to FBI Director James Comey is available online at http://www.scribd.com/doc/199399150/Tester-s-letter-to-FBI-Director-Comey. The FBI has not made any official decision.