The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 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. This code, known as the “MEP” alert, will function similarly to the existing nationwide Amber Alert system and enable law enforcement agencies across the country to promptly notify the public via cellphones, televisions, and radios.
The primary objective of this new code is to address the disparities in searching for and locating the thousands of Indigenous persons who go missing in the U.S. each year. According to the FCC, Indigenous individuals face a higher risk of being victims of violence, homicide, and going missing.
“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.
Lavina Willie-Nez, the Amber Alert coordinator for the Navajo Nation Police Department in Arizona, praised the MEP code during a testimony, stating that it would significantly aid the Navajo Nation and other tribes in finding missing endangered persons. Willie-Nez emphasized the importance of collaboration in these efforts.
Lavina Willie-Nez said that each time an Indigenous person goes missing, “we lose a part of our heritage and culture.”
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks highlighted the necessity of the new code in bridging a significant gap within the U.S. public safety infrastructure. In a statement, he stated that the three-letter MEP code will “harmonize emergency alerts nationwide,” ensuring the public is informed and ready to respond during such emergencies, ultimately helping save lives.
Data from the FCC reveals that in 2021, over 188,000 people went missing in the U.S., but did not qualify for Amber Alerts. Out of those individuals, nearly 10,600 were identified as American Indian/Alaska Native, with approximately 3,300 of them being 18 years old or older.
Cara Chambers, chairperson of the Wyoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force, stressed the importance of promptly sharing information in missing person cases and expressed optimism about the effectiveness of the new code. She also encouraged the public to report missing persons to local law enforcement even when the situation may seem uncertain.
Chambers 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.
Several states already have a version of an alert system for missing persons of color. Washington state launched the Missing Indigenous Person Alert system for missing Native Americans in 2022. When activated, the system notifies law enforcement of a missing Indigenous person by placing messages on highway reader boards. The alert system will also provide information to news outlets and social media and radio.
That same year, California signed into law the “Feather Alert” system that issues public information alerts about missing Indigenous people across the state.
