Arizona is set to introduce the “Turquoise Alert” system, a new initiative aimed at enlisting public assistance in locating missing individuals. While the system was initially promoted to address the issue of missing Native Americans, its scope extends beyond this group.
Named “Emily’s Law” in memory of Emily Pike, whose remains were discovered over 100 miles from her last known location, the system allows alerts to be activated for anyone missing under suspicious conditions, according to Capt. Tom Neve of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
“They don’t have to be indigenous persons,” Neve stated. Yet, he acknowledged the significant issue of missing and murdered indigenous persons, noting that families often remain unaware when individuals are taken from tribes within Arizona.
Turquoise Alerts aim to bridge the gap between existing Amber Alerts, which target child abductions, and Silver Alerts, intended for locating missing individuals aged 65 and older, often due to cognitive impairments.
Although no official Turquoise Alerts have been issued yet, guidelines are in the process of being finalized. Neve emphasized that abductions would qualify under the alert, but its criteria are broader.
“Certainly, if they’re in the presence of a dangerous person, they went missing under suspicious or unexplained circumstances, and basically local law enforcement has exhausted all the resources they have in trying to locate that person, then they can make a request to DPS to put out a Turquoise Alert for that person,” explained Neve.
The implementation will involve careful adjustments to ensure the alerts are effective and informative. Neve stressed the importance of including crucial details such as the last known location, direction of travel, attire, and potential companions to engage public assistance effectively.
Current alert systems like Amber and Silver Alerts have shown high success rates, with Amber Alerts achieving a 100% recovery rate in most years and Silver Alerts reaching 98%. Neve anticipates similar effectiveness for Turquoise Alerts.
However, he noted the lack of specific data on how many individuals are located as a direct result of these alerts compared to other methods.
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