SACRAMENTO, Calif — Alerts used by law enforcement are used to help locate a missing person or notify the public of possible criminal activity in their area.
Hundreds of thousands of people go missing annually, according to the FBI. In 2019, over 600,000 missing person cases were reported to the FBI. Not every case has a designated alert, each alert is for a specific person and situation, and each has its criteria.
The system of alerts were created in 2003 after George W. Bush enacted the AMBER alert system. The system continued to grow, and the newest alert system, the Ashanti Alert, was adopted in 2019.
In California, the three main alerts issued are AMBER, Silver and Blue. California Highway Patrol [CHP] releases the alerts through its Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center [ENTAC] division. ENTAC determines whether a missing case meets the criteria of an alert.
AMBER alert
When a child is abducted or is missing, an AMBER alert can be issued, should the case meet the criteria set by the program:
- The child is under the age of 17.
- There is an imminent threat to the child.
- There is information to provide about the abduction.
AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, but is named after Amber Hagerman, who was nine years old when she was abducted in in Texas. The AMBER plan spread across the nation after 2003 when President George W. Bush enacted a law to allow all states to have the same method as Texas.
Silver Alert
For people over the age of 65 who are missing, a Silver Alert can be issued to help law enforcement find the missing person. A Silver Alert could also be issued for people who are cognitively or developmentally impaired.
Blue Alert
Blue Alerts provide the public with information about a person who has injured and poses an imminent threat to law enforcement or the general public. California began using this alert system in 2011.
Endangered Missing Advisories
In California, when a person is missing under suspicious circumstances but fails to meet the standards set by the Silver and AMBER alerts, CHP can issue an Endangered Missing Advisory.
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