Navajo Police Department Actively Addressing Public Concerns Over White Vans that Appear Suspicious

Published July 26, 2019

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President is aware of concerns from the Navajo public stemming from social media posts regarding white vans in various communities that appear suspicious. The Navajo Police Department under the leadership of Navajo Police Chief Phillip Francisco, is actively addressing these concerns.

In one situation in the community of Tonalea the Navajo Police Department responded to concerns over a white van traveling on a local road, which turned out to be a local church group that had rented the van to conduct group church activities in the area.

In another case, a white van was found to be abandoned and was towed on Tuesday evening – no suspicious activity is suspected at this time. In the community of Red Lake, reports of a missing person in relation to a white van was investigated, however the reports were found to be unsubstantiated and the person was found in Flagstaff, AZ.

“The Office of the President and Vice President is in communication with the Division of Public Safety and the Navajo Police Department regarding inquiries and concerns of our people. We take these concerns from the public very serious and we always encourage everyone to be aware of their surroundings and to keep a watchful eye on your children,” said President Nez.

“To effectively investigate these cases, we want the public to call the district police departments to report any suspicious activities. We value the public’s proactive approach in noticing suspicious activities in their community however, we ask you call the police if you feel unsafe. Reports made on social media creates challenges in obtaining and verifying information regarding these reported activities,” Chief of Police Phillip Francisco stated. “Social media is not the preferred method of reporting suspected criminal activities and is not a monitored 24/7 platform.”

The public may contact your local police district at the following phone numbers to report any incidents or concerns:

Window Rock Police District                  (928) 871-6113/6114

Chinle Police District                              (928) 674-2111/2112

Crownpoint Police District                     (505) 786-2050/2051

Dilkon Police District                             (928) 657-8075

Kayenta Police District                           (928) 697-5600

Shiprock Police District                          (505) 368-1350/1351

Tuba City Police District                         (928) 283-3111/3112