U.S. adopts an alert system for missing Indigenous people : NPR

The Federal Communications Commission is launching a new nationwide alert code for missing and endangered Indigenous people who do not fit the criteria for an Amber Alert or Silver Alert.

This new alert code, according to the federal agency, would be similar to the nationwide Amber Alert system and will help law enforcement agencies across the country to issue timely alerts to the public through cellphones, televisions and radios.

The new “MEP” alert code is part of the efforts to address disparities in searching for and locating thousands of missing Indigenous persons in the U.S., who are at higher risk of being victims of violence, homicide, and of going missing, the FCC said in a news release.

“We just made it easier to find missing and endangered persons, particularly those from indigenous and tribal communities,” the federal agency said in a post on X.

The new code will help tribal, state and local law enforcement agencies broadcast alerts for missing persons who do not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert for children and a Silver Alert for senior citizens.

In testimony ahead of last Wednesday’s unanimous vote, Lavina Willie-Nez, Amber Alert coordinator for the Navajo Nation Police Department in Arizona, said that each time an Indigenous person goes missing, “we lose a part of our heritage and culture.”

“The missing endangered person code will greatly assist the Navajo Nation and other tribes where individuals go missing and are in danger,” Willie-Nez said.

Since 2018, the Navajo Nation says it has issued eight Amber Alerts — all of which have resulted in the recovery of the missing children, according to the FCC.

“It is crucial that we support one another in these efforts,” Willie-Nez said.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, said in a statement that the new code will close a “critical gap” in the nation’s public safety infrastructure.

“This three-letter ‘MEP’ event code harmonizes emergency alerts nationwide to ensure that the public is alerted and prepared to respond during these emergencies. Put simply, this Order will help save lives,” Starks said.

Indigenous persons go missing at a disproportionate rate

Last year, more than 188,000 people went missing in the U.S. who did not qualify for an Amber Alert, according to the FCC. Nearly 10,600 American Indian/Alaska Native persons were reported missing, of which roughly 3,300 were 18 or older, according to FBI statistics.

Cara Chambers, chairperson of the Wyoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force, told Wyoming Public Radio that sending information out quickly when it comes to missing persons is very crucial.

“Time is always of the essence with these cases. The quicker family or loved ones are able to alert that someone is missing or an endangered person is missing, and the more eyes and ears and awareness we can get on a situation, the better,” Chambers said.

“I think [the new code] is a really encouraging change and I believe it will help,” she added.

Chambers said that while reporting missing person cases can sometimes be tricky, it’s better to notify local law enforcement of a person’s disappearance than to not.

“The worst that could happen is that they locate this person and [the person] is like, ‘No, I’m fine,’ ” Chambers said. “If [the] family has a reasonable belief that there is reason to be concerned, I think we take that seriously.”

Other states have enacted similar alert systems for missing persons

Several states have already implemented a version of an alert system for missing persons of color.

In 2022, Washington state launched the Missing Indigenous Person Alert system for missing Native Americans, bringing visibility to missing and murdered Indigenous women.

When it’s activated, the system notifies law enforcement when there’s a report of a missing Indigenous person by placing messages on highway reader boards in addition to on the radio and across social media. The alert system will also provide information to news outlets.

That same year, California signed into law the “Feather Alert” system that issues public information alerts about missing Indigenous people across the state.

And in 2023, California’s governor signed into law the Ebony Alert system for missing Black children and young women. When activated, the proposed system — similar to Amber or Silver alerts — would inform people of missing Black children and young women between the ages of 12 to 25.

The Ebony Alert system will make use of electronic highway signs and encourage the use of TV, radio, social media and other platforms to spread information about the missing persons alert.

State Sen. Steven Bradford, who introduced the bill that was later signed into law, emphasized the disparity between resources and coverage in searching for white people and those of color across California.

“The Ebony Alert will ensure that vital resources and attention are given so we can bring home missing Black children and women in the same way we search for any missing child and missing person,” Bradford said.