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For Advocates:
In addition to the taskforces, the successful passage of the laws in these four states is widely credited to the dedication of tribal programs, loved ones of missing relatives and community advocacy organizations such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women organizations.
Advocates can lobby their elected representatives and work with community advocacy organizations to call for similar alert systems to be established in their state. See if there is pending legislation in your state.
Advocates can also call for a nationwide Missing Indigenous Persons Alert, a recommendation that appeared in numerous state taskforce reports.
Background:
A common theme in the recommendations from state taskforce reports has been the need for timely communications and coordination between law enforcement agencies, Tribes, county government, sheriff’s departments and police departments when an indigenous person is reported as missing under suspicious circumstances. Alert systems such as Amber alerts for missing children, operated in all 50 states and Silver alerts for missing elders, operated in over half of states, send alerts to the phones in geographic proximity to the potential abduction, enabling the public to provide information to help locate the missing individual.
Highlights:
California’s Feather Alert, operated by the California Highway Patrol came into effect on January 24, 2022.
Washington’s alert system was launched in July 2022, and by October 27, 2023, of the 72 missing Indigenous person alerts issued, 65 of the individuals were located.
The Kasey Alert system in Oklahoma has been in effect since November 1, 2023.
In Colorado, 17 alerts had been issued in the six months since the alert system was launched on December 30, 2023.
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