Latest news with #TurquoiseAlertSystem
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Native leaders, advocates gather for Emily's Law bill signing ceremony
Gov. Katie Hobbs participates in a bill signing ceremony for House Bill 2281 ion May 21, 2025. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror Surrounded by the flags of Arizona's 22 Tribal Nations, Indigenous leaders, advocates, and officials gathered with Gov. Katie Hobbs on May 21 to witness the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited law. ' We are here because the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people demands our full attention and collaboration,' Hobbs said. 'It demands action and it demands solutions.' Hobbs officially signed House Bill 2281, the Turquoise Alert System bill, into law on May 13, establishing a new system to issue state-wide alerts for missing Indigenous or endangered persons using the federally authorized Emergency Alert System. The alert applies to anyone younger than 65 who does not meet criteria for an Amber or Silver Alert. An Amber Alert is activated when a minor is abducted, and a Silver Alert is for when a person over the age of 65 or who has a cognitive or developmental disability goes missing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX If a person who is 18 or older goes missing in Arizona, a public alert of their disappearance is not available nor required. That's a hurdle that many Indigenous families are familiar with. The Department of Public Safety will oversee the new alert system. Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said that the new alert system closes jurisdictional and age-related gaps, which will help better serve Indigenous people who go missing or could be in danger. 'The language provides for collaboration between Tribal, state and local police, and as we know from the success of the Amber Alert system, the sooner law enforcement and the public are alerted to potential danger, the stronger the likelihood that endangered individuals can return home safely,' he said. Lewis collaborated with Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, who sponsored the bill, which passed through the legislature with unanimous support. ' I applaud all of the members of the legislature for their support for this bill and for taking this important step to addressing this longstanding, missing and murdered Indigenous crisis that continues throughout our state,' Lewis said. Arizona is the fifth state to implement a missing and endangered Indigenous persons alert system. The other states are California, Washington, Colorado and New Mexico. The bill is known as Emily's Law in honor of 14-year-old Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe who went missing and was later found dead earlier this year. ' Every year, tens of thousands of people go missing who fall outside the criteria for an amber or silver alert,' Hobbs said. 'Emily Pike was one of those people. Her life and her story mattered.' Hobb announced that the state is contributing $25,000 to the San Carlos Apache Tribes' reward for information on Emily Pike's murder. Hobbs said the contribution comes after meeting with San Carlos Apache tribal leaders and asking them how the state could help support the investigation. The total award is now $175,000. ' I urge anyone with information to contact the Gila County Sheriff's Office or the FBI,' Hobbs said, adding that Emily Pike would have turned 15 on May 15. 'She should have celebrated with her friends and family. Her family deserves this justice,' she added. 'And in her honor, I am proud to sign Emily's Law to establish the Turquoise Alert in Arizona.' Lewis said the law will not bring Emily Pike back, but he hopes that Emily's Law will prevent another Indigenous relative, child, or teen from suffering the same fate. ' With the implementation of the Turquoise Alert System along with the Amber Alert System and Silver Alert System, together, we can collectively all work together to protect our children, our elders, our most vulnerable, our tribal members, and act quickly to bring them to safety,' he added. Emily Pike's mother, sister, and uncle, Allred Pike Jr., attended the signing. Her uncle spoke on behalf of the family, expressing that he is conflicted about the name, Emily's Law, because his niece is no longer here. ' She was murdered. She was dismembered. She was tossed to the side of the road like she didn't matter,' he said. 'She was our daughter, our niece, our granddaughter, our cousin, our friend, and we're here to tell you that she mattered, her life mattered.' Allred Pike said that it was hard to be at the signing, but the family understands that Emily's Law is a step in the right direction to move forward. 'We just don't want this to happen to anyone else out there and to make sure that this law helps save lives for other missing and murdered Indigenous women,' he added. The new Turquoise Alert System will operate in parallel with the Missing and Endangered Person alert code, a national alert code adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in the fall of 2024. The national code is being established in Arizona and is expected to be launched by the summer. DPS will establish the Turquoise Alert System, a quick response system designed to issue and coordinate alerts following the report of a missing Indigenous or endangered person. The alert would only be issued at the request of a law enforcement agency investigating a missing person report. DPS would approve and issue the alert, but for it to be issued, the missing person must be an Indigenous or non-Indigenous endangered person under the age of 65. Due to state work on implementing the FCC's new alert code for the last year, Hobbs said that the Turquoise Alert System can be implemented immediately when the law goes into effect, 90 days after the close of the legislative session. 'The Turquoise Alert will be ready by the end of this summer, and I'm so glad that we are able to come together in a bipartisan way to pass common-sense legislation that will increase public safety,' Hobbs said. More than 10,600 Indigenous people were reported missing in the U.S. in 2023, roughly 3,300 of whom were 18 or older, according to the FBI. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System reported that more than 23,700 missing persons cases were in the database at the end of 2023, and 255 of those were for Indigenous people. In 2021, Arizona was ranked as having the third-largest number of unresolved cases of missing Indigenous people in the country, according to NamUs. Currently, there are 93 cases of missing Indigenous people in the NamUs database for Arizona. The Urban Indian Health Institute reported that Arizona also has the third-largest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the country. Their study reported 506 known cases in 71 urban areas across the country, 54 of which were in Arizona, including 31 in Tucson. There is still no comprehensive database that provides accurate numbers or data related to missing and murdered Indigenous peoples across the country. Without a centralized system among the thousands of federal, state, and tribal entities, the information available remains limited. When examining the numbers, it's important to note that Indigenous people make up only about 6% of Arizona's population. The state has three major metropolitan areas, all home to large Indigenous populations. Each of Arizona's 22 tribal nations has many tribal members living on their tribal lands. The recommendation for a missing endangered persons alert in Arizona was first made in 2022 by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ad hoc committee and has continued as a recommendation by the task force. Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Coal Mine Mesa, said getting Emily's Law signed is a milestone, but that advocacy work will continue. Hathathlie, a member of the Navajo Nation and advocate for MMIP, said there have been discussions regarding jurisdictional issues, training requests and educational needs to address MMIP, but the work must be done collaboratively. 'We need to stop working in silos,' she added. 'We need to come together and have these difficult conversations because every single day, we have another missing person.' Rep. Myron Tsosie, D-Chinle, who is also from the Navajo Nation, said that Emily's Law brings some relief for Indigenous peoples and their families who have fought to have their voices heard. 'Our voices are being heard,' he said. 'This brings some relief to our tribal communities, not only here in Arizona, but across the country.' Tsosie said the fight for MMIP must continue and the community must help raise awareness. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE UPDATE: This story's headline has been updated for clarity.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican legislators call for more solutions to the missing and murdered indigenous people crisis
Rep. Teresa Martinez speaks during a press conference at the Arizona State Capitol Rose Garden on May 20, 2025, to urge action and raise awareness about the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror Two of Arizona's Republican legislators are urging state and federal lawmakers to unite and work on solutions to address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples. Following the recent signing of a bill that will create a Turquoise Alert System for missing Native people, a significant state legislative action, the lawmakers emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum. Missing and murdered Indigenous peoples, also known as MMIP, is an ongoing issue within Indigenous communities across the country, with Indigenous peoples at the forefront of efforts to raise awareness about the crisis and to push for action. Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, emphasized that their efforts are not just about policy, but about the people, lives, and families who have been deeply affected by the crisis. In some tribal communities, Indigenous women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average, according to the Department of Justice. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In 2017, homicide was reported as the fourth-leading cause of death among Indigenous women and girls between the ages of one and 19 years old and the sixth-leading cause of death for ages 20 to 44, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a report from the National Institute of Justice, 84% of Indigenous women experience violence in their lifetime, compared to 71% of white women. Blackman, who represents a district that borders the Navajo Nation, said he has heard firsthand stories of how communities have been impacted. 'We need our congressional delegation to do a better job of tracking,' he said, adding that the state needs more help coordinating communication among agencies when someone goes missing. Blackman said that will ensure that when an Indigenous person goes missing, it won't take as long to put out an alert. Blackman and Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, held a press conference Tuesday at the Arizona State Capitol Rose Garden to urge action. Martinez sponsored the Turquoise Alert System bill, House Bill 2281, which passed through the House and Senate unanimously. It creates a system that will coordinate alerts for missing Indigenous or endangered persons through the federally authorized Emergency Alert System. The bill passed shortly after the state Senate amended the legislation to include minors who go missing. The change allows the alert system to be activated in cases like Emily Pike's, an Indigenous teen whose disappearance and murder earlier this year was cited by lawmakers as the impetus for the measure. 'We have too much work to do to protect women and children of the state of Arizona,' Martinez said. Martinez represents District 16, which includes the Gila River Indian Community and the Ak-chin Indian Community. She said her granddaughter is part of the Gila River Indian Community, and if she ever went missing, Martinez would turn the world upside down looking for her. ' We have to have that same standard for all our children, regardless of the color of their skin and where they come from,' she said, adding that she is glad that more attention is being paid to the issue so that they can think of ways to find all the missing women. The MMIP crisis has persisted for generations, with many efforts to address this issue in Arizona led by Indigenous women, leaders and their supporters. Legislation has been introduced, rallies held, awareness walks organized, and various efforts have taken place over the years to highlight the ongoing MMIP crisis within Indigenous communities. Arizona is reported to have the third-largest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the country. That study reported 506 known cases in 71 urban areas across the country, 54 of which were in Arizona, including 31 in Tucson. In 2021, Arizona had the third-largest number of unresolved missing Indigenous people cases in the country, according to NamUs. There are currently 91 missing Indigenous people cases in the NamUs database for Arizona. More than 10,600 Indigenous people were reported missing in the U.S. in 2023, roughly 3,300 of whom were 18 or older, according to the FBI. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System reported that more than 23,700 missing persons cases were in the database at the end of 2023, and 255 of those were for Indigenous people. There is still no single database that provides accurate numbers or data related to missing and murdered Indigenous peoples across the country. With no centralized database among the thousands of federal, state and tribal entities, the information available is limited. When looking at the numbers, it's important to note that Indigenous people make up only about 6% of the population in Arizona. There are only three major metropolitan areas in the state that have large Indigenous populations, and each of the 22 tribal nations in Arizona has a large number of people living on the reservation. ' If this happened anywhere else in this state, the alarming numbers that we see, we would be on it,' Blackman said. 'We would have laws written, we'd have green, yellow, blue alerts out, but for whatever reason, this is not being addressed appropriately.' Blackman said that his and Martinez's call for support is not about money or new programs, but rather about strengthening the support of existing programs so they can get involved and help Indigenous communities across the state. Lorena Halwood is the executive director for Amá Dóó Áłchíní Bíghan, a nonprofit based on the Navajo Nation that provides crisis services for victims of violence, including domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault. ADABI is based in Chinle, but Halwood said it serves multiple communities on the Navajo Nation. She has worked with the organization for nearly 30 years, and as one of the few victim services on the Navajo Nation, it gets by with whatever funding it can get. 'Crisis is not going to stop,' she said. The only funding ADABI gets from the start is from the Victims of Crime Act, which was established by the Federal Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and serves as a major funding source for victim services throughout the country. Halwood said they receive $87,000 through the Victims of Crime Act, covering two staff members, vehicle mileage, and part of their utility payments. She hopes to see more support available for victim services. Halwood advocated for increased state and federal resources for tribal law enforcement and victim services. ' Our presence here is to amplify the call for justice,' she said, and to ensure that the voices of families out there are heard. 'Together we can advocate for real change in our communities,' Halwood added. 'We need everyone's help.' Karen Bedonie from the Navajo Nation said on Tuesday that it's time for Indigenous people to stand up and represent themselves with the help of their state legislators. 'We want to be represented and not misrepresented,' Bedonie said, because often, Indigenous people and their issues are swept under the rug or forgotten. 'We are on the back burner of everything that is happening here,' she said, adding that it took the death of Emily Pike for any action to be taken. Bedonie said her goal is to work with the representatives and push forward so that the Turquoise Alert System makes a difference and does not fade into the wind. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona Legislature unanimously approves Turquoise Alert System for missing Indigenous people
Community members wait in line at the water tank in Peridot, Arizona, so that they can place a red hand print of the mural honoring Emily Pike and everyone impacted by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror The creation of the Turquoise Alert System cleared its final legislative hurdle on Wednesday when it passed the state House of Representatives unanimously The new system, which would function similarly to the existing Amber Alert and Silver Alert notification systems, would coordinate alerts for missing Indigenous or endangered persons through the federally authorized Emergency Alert System. The final passage comes less than a week after the state Senate amended the legislation, House Bill 2281, to include minors who go missing. The change allows the alert system to be activated in cases like Emily Pike's, an Indigenous teen whose disappearance and murder earlier this year was cited by lawmakers as the impetus for the measure. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, said she introduced the bill before Pike's story became public, and that the Turquoise Alert could have prevented her murder. 'It breaks my heart that we, the State of Arizona, didn't even go looking for this little girl,' she said. 'We cannot let children go missing without somebody being alerted.' Democratic Rep. Brian Garcia, a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, said the alert will save lives. 'One day, what happened to Emily won't happen to another child,' he said. More than 10,600 Indigenous people were reported missing in the U.S. in 2023, roughly 3,300 of whom were 18 or older, according to the FBI. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System reported that more than 23,700 missing persons cases were in the database at the end of 2023, and 255 of those were for Indigenous people. In 2021, Arizona was ranked as the state with the third-largest number of unresolved missing Indigenous people cases in the country, according to NamUs. There are currently 91 missing Indigenous people cases in the NamUs database for Arizona. A study from the Urban Indian Health Institute found that Arizona also has the third-largest number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the country. That study reported 506 known cases in 71 urban areas across the country, 54 of which were in Arizona, including 31 in Tucson. There is still no single database that provides accurate numbers or data related to missing and murdered Indigenous peoples across the country. With no centralized database among the thousands of federal, state and tribal entities, the information available is limited. The Turquoise Alert system has been a priority for Indigenous advocates for years, and was requested in 2019, when Arizona's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women study committee examined the crisis. 'Indigenous people go missing at a higher rate than any other ethnicity,' Elayne Gregg, whose 7-year-old daughter was abducted and killed in 2009, told the Arizona Mirror earlier this year. 'Because that rate is so high, something like this needs to happen.' The bill has received broad bipartisan support as it moved through the legislative process, making it likely that Gov. Katie Hobbs will sign it into law. Hobbs has already directed the Arizona Department of Public Safety to develop a plan for implementing a new alert for Indigenous people by summer. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Native communities in New Mexico hope new Turquoise Alert System will facilitate the safe return of more missing members
New Mexico this week became the latest state to pass a law aimed at addressing an ongoing national crisis surrounding missing and murdered Indigenous people – particularly in unsolved cases involving women and girls. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed a bill creating the new Turquoise Alert System. It's among a series of federal and state initiatives launched across the country in recent years to address an issue advocates and tribal leaders say has largely been ignored. Homicide is the No. 1 cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between the ages of 10 and 24 and the fifth-leading cause of death for 25- to 34-year-olds, according to US Rep. Mike Simpson, who last year wrote an op-ed highlighting how Indigenous women and girls are murdered at a disproportionate rate. Nationally, 40% of all victims of sex trafficking are identified as American Indian and Alaska Native women. In 2023 alone, over 5,800 American Indian and Alaska Native females were reported missing, 74% of whom were children, according to data provided by the Idaho Republican – who chairs the House Interior and Environment Subcommittee. 'We have witnessed firsthand the devastation of delayed responses in cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives … and this law gives us the tools to ensure that no more families experience this unnecessary heartache,' Tiffany Jiron, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, said in a statement after the passage of the New Mexico legislation. 'Today's victory is a testament to the power of advocacy, resilience, and the unwavering determination of Native communities to stand up for their rights and their loved ones,' wrote Jiron. With arrival of the Turquoise Alert System, which will go into effect on July 1, New Mexico becomes the fourth state with a specialized alert system focused on Indigenous people, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Washington, California, and Colorado each have similar systems in place, but New Mexico's alert system will be the first to utilize cell phone alerts, said Paris Wise of the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. There are 23 tribes in New Mexico and the state's Native American citizens represent nearly 12.4% of its population, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. 'Most of our folks live off tribal land, just like anywhere else in the country. And there were a lot of questions while we were introducing this, like, 'Is this going to help tribal police?' or 'Is this for when people leave the reservation?' Just these questions that are still rooted in a deep misunderstanding of our community,' bill sponsor state Sen. Angel M. Charley told CNN. 'A lot of our people don't live on tribal land and this is another tool that can be used for the safety of native people when they do go missing.' New Mexico's Legislature in March unanimously passed Senate Bill 41, creating the new alert system, with a 60-0 vote. The Turquoise Alert System was named to reflect the importance of the stone to the Nations, Pueblos and Tribes in New Mexico, in particular. 'Additionally, we also looked at how some of the other Alerts happen to be like a 'stone' (Amber) or 'metal' (Silver),' New Mexico Indian Affairs Department Cabinet Secretary Josett D. Monette told CNN. 'Turquoise is considered a powerful stone among the Nations, Pueblos and Tribes in New Mexico and represents their strength and resilience.' The new alert system will link law enforcement agencies, tribal communities, and state resources to provide a rapid response when Native Americans are reported missing. It will function similarly to existing alert systems, like Amber and Silver alerts, by rapidly sharing information about missing Native Americans with the public through law enforcement channels, cell phone alerts, news media, social media, and digital highway signs. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety, or the lead law enforcement agency, will be responsible for issuing Turquoise Alerts, based on specific criteria to ensure an immediate and effective response, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Legislators worked closely with the department of public safety in drafting the bill to ensure it would meet emergency thresholds needed to activate the alert so as not to overwhelm the system, Charley said. 'Right now, we have – in New Mexico – over 200 active missing cases,' Charley told CNN. 'I think folks were really concerned that one, it would overwhelm folks, and two, that people would opt out of the system altogether.' The state senator said legislators worked with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, agreeing to increase one of the required alerting thresholds to include language stating there would need to be 'evidence of imminent danger of serious bodily harm to or death of the missing person,' to trigger an alert from cellular service companies. 'For years now, we have stepped up on our own to help locate our missing brothers and sisters through coordinated local efforts and on social media,' another bill sponsor, state Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta, said. 'Establishing the Turquoise Alert will allow the state to amplify these community-led efforts to better ensure the protection and safe return of our loved ones.' New Mexico's bid to address the crisis comes amid efforts from the federal government to assist with locating missing Native Americans and solve violent crimes in Indigenous communities. Earlier this month, the US Justice Department announced the FBI would be sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes, to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. Work to address the decadeslong crisis stretches back to President Donald Trump's first term, when he established a special task force aimed at curbing the high rate of killings and disappearances among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In August, the Federal Communications Commission voted to establish a new missing and endangered persons alert, which is particularly beneficial to tribal communities, to deliver critical alert messages to the public over television, radio, and wireless phones. The new missing and endangered persons alerts within the nation's Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert system will help law enforcement agencies steer public attention toward missing and endangered people of all ages who do not qualify for Amber Alerts, the FCC said. The 'MEP' alert code for missing and endangered persons specifically applies where criteria for an Amber Alert are not met and enables a 'more rapid and coordinated response to these incidents,' according to the FCC. A software manufacturer is in the process of implementing that code into alerting software currently in use in New Mexico, the state Department of Public Safety says. 'Once it is available, we will utilize the MEP alert code to distribute alerts via the Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert System, but only when there is evidence of imminent danger of serious bodily harm to or death of the missing person and that there is enough descriptive information about the missing person to assist in locating that person,' Sgt. Ricardo Breceda with New Mexico State Police told CNN. CNN's Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.
CNN
10-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
New Mexico tackles crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people with new alert system
New Mexico this week became the latest state to pass a law aimed at addressing an ongoing national crisis surrounding missing and murdered Indigenous people – particularly in unsolved cases involving women and girls. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed a bill creating the new Turquoise Alert System. It's among a series of federal and state initiatives launched across the country in recent years to address an issue advocates and tribal leaders say has largely been ignored. Homicide is the No. 1 cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between the ages of 10 and 24 and the fifth-leading cause of death for 25- to 34-year-olds, according to US Rep. Mike Simpson, who last year wrote an op-ed highlighting how Indigenous women and girls are murdered at a disproportionate rate. Nationally, 40% of all victims of sex trafficking are identified as American Indian and Alaska Native women. In 2023 alone, over 5,800 American Indian and Alaska Native females were reported missing, 74% of whom were children, according to data provided by the Idaho Republican – who chairs the House Interior and Environment Subcommittee. 'We have witnessed firsthand the devastation of delayed responses in cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives … and this law gives us the tools to ensure that no more families experience this unnecessary heartache,' Tiffany Jiron, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, said in a statement after the passage of the New Mexico legislation. 'Today's victory is a testament to the power of advocacy, resilience, and the unwavering determination of Native communities to stand up for their rights and their loved ones,' wrote Jiron. With arrival of the Turquoise Alert System, which will go into effect on July 1, New Mexico becomes the fourth state with a specialized alert system focused on Indigenous people, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Washington, California, and Colorado each have similar systems in place, but New Mexico's alert system will be the first to utilize cell phone alerts, said Paris Wise of the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. There are 23 tribes in New Mexico and the state's Native American citizens represent nearly 12.4% of its population, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. 'Most of our folks live off tribal land, just like anywhere else in the country. And there were a lot of questions while we were introducing this, like, 'Is this going to help tribal police?' or 'Is this for when people leave the reservation?' Just these questions that are still rooted in a deep misunderstanding of our community,' bill sponsor state Sen. Angel M. Charley told CNN. 'A lot of our people don't live on tribal land and this is another tool that can be used for the safety of native people when they do go missing.' New Mexico's Legislature in March unanimously passed Senate Bill 41, creating the new alert system, with a 60-0 vote. The Turquoise Alert System was named to reflect the importance of the stone to the Nations, Pueblos and Tribes in New Mexico, in particular. 'Additionally, we also looked at how some of the other Alerts happen to be like a 'stone' (Amber) or 'metal' (Silver),' New Mexico Indian Affairs Department Cabinet Secretary Josett D. Monette told CNN. 'Turquoise is considered a powerful stone among the Nations, Pueblos and Tribes in New Mexico and represents their strength and resilience.' The new alert system will link law enforcement agencies, tribal communities, and state resources to provide a rapid response when Native Americans are reported missing. It will function similarly to existing alert systems, like Amber and Silver alerts, by rapidly sharing information about missing Native Americans with the public through law enforcement channels, cell phone alerts, news media, social media, and digital highway signs. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety, or the lead law enforcement agency, will be responsible for issuing Turquoise Alerts, based on specific criteria to ensure an immediate and effective response, according to the New Mexico Department of Indian Affairs. Legislators worked closely with the department of public safety in drafting the bill to ensure it would meet emergency thresholds needed to activate the alert so as not to overwhelm the system, Charley said. 'Right now, we have – in New Mexico – over 200 active missing cases,' Charley told CNN. 'I think folks were really concerned that one, it would overwhelm folks, and two, that people would opt out of the system altogether.' The state senator said legislators worked with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, agreeing to increase one of the required alerting thresholds to include language stating there would need to be 'evidence of imminent danger of serious bodily harm to or death of the missing person,' to trigger an alert from cellular service companies. 'For years now, we have stepped up on our own to help locate our missing brothers and sisters through coordinated local efforts and on social media,' another bill sponsor, state Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta, said. 'Establishing the Turquoise Alert will allow the state to amplify these community-led efforts to better ensure the protection and safe return of our loved ones.' New Mexico's bid to address the crisis comes amid efforts from the federal government to assist with locating missing Native Americans and solve violent crimes in Indigenous communities. Earlier this month, the US Justice Department announced the FBI would be sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to field offices in 10 states over the next six months to help investigate unsolved violent crimes, to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. Work to address the decadeslong crisis stretches back to President Donald Trump's first term, when he established a special task force aimed at curbing the high rate of killings and disappearances among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In August, the Federal Communications Commission voted to establish a new missing and endangered persons alert, which is particularly beneficial to tribal communities, to deliver critical alert messages to the public over television, radio, and wireless phones. The new missing and endangered persons alerts within the nation's Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert system will help law enforcement agencies steer public attention toward missing and endangered people of all ages who do not qualify for Amber Alerts, the FCC said. The 'MEP' alert code for missing and endangered persons specifically applies where criteria for an Amber Alert are not met and enables a 'more rapid and coordinated response to these incidents,' according to the FCC. A software manufacturer is in the process of implementing that code into alerting software currently in use in New Mexico, the state Department of Public Safety says. 'Once it is available, we will utilize the MEP alert code to distribute alerts via the Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert System, but only when there is evidence of imminent danger of serious bodily harm to or death of the missing person and that there is enough descriptive information about the missing person to assist in locating that person,' Sgt. Ricardo Breceda with New Mexico State Police told CNN. CNN's Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.
