OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The first of six pilot projects in the United States focusing on indigenous peoples who are missing or murdered was announced Tuesday in Oklahoma by U.S. Attorneys Trent Shores and Brian Kuester.

The U.S. Department of Justice project created protocols for federal, state and tribal investigative agencies to work together and with victims’ families when American Indian or Alaska Native jurisdictional boundaries are crossed, said Shores of the Northern District of Oklahoma.

The key, according to Shores, is developing a coordinated effort with different tribes and their individual cultures and practices.

“We know that Indian Country knows Indian Country best and tribal leaders and tribal citizens know best what will work for their community,” Shores said. “Too often we have tried to find a one size fits all” solution when what may work in Oklahoma does not apply in Alaska or Montana.

“It's not that we aren't already striving to do a lot of these particular protocols that have been in development,” Shores said. “Now we're actually going to have guidelines that are written down that everyone can look to ensure that everybody is dancing to the same tune, so to speak.”

The project in Oklahoma is joined by the Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek) nations, whose Principal Chiefs, Chuck Hoskin, Jr. and David Hill.

“No matter what... reservation we call home we all have the same goal, public safety (and) a successful future for those residing in our state,” Hill said.

Shores said the project's aim is both missing and murdered indigenous people, but in Oklahoma is likely to have greater impact on missing person cases. Homicide cases, Shores said, are often well defined as to which agency has jurisdiction, but missing persons cases may not even involve a crime, such as when a person flees an abusive relationship.

Shores said similar projects are planned in Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana and Oregon.

The U.S. Department of Justice last year launched a national strategy to address missing and murdered Native Americans, later expanding. The program includes $1.5 million to hire coordinators in 11 states, including Oklahoma.

An Associated Press investigation in 2018 found that nobody knows precisely how cases of missing and murdered Native Americans happen nationwide because many cases go unreported, others aren’t well documented and no government database specifically tracks them.