(The Center Square) — Arizona has a new alert for missing people.
A Turquoise Alert will now be issued when there’s a report of a missing endangered person, including members of Indigenous tribes, people under age 65 and others meeting specific criteria.
Earlier this year, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Arizona, directed the Department of Public Safety to begin implementation of the Turquoise Alert. The governor has more recently signed legislation (House Bill 2281) codifying the alert into state law.
Because of the work by the governor and DPS, the alert will be deployed before the deadline called for in the legislation, also known as “Emily’s Law.” It was named after 14-year-old Emily Pike. A member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Pike went missing in January and was later found dead. The bill named after her was sponsored by state Reps. Teresa Martinez, Brian Garcia, Mae Peshlakai and Myron Tsosie.
In a press release this week, Hobbs called the Turquoise Alert a “critical communication tool” that will save lives.
“With this effort, we are making sure our law enforcement officers and the public can respond quickly when it matters most,” said the governor. “This tool is a meaningful step to improve the safety and well-being of communities across Arizona, and in particular tribal communities, which for too long have suffered from a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.”
Arizona DPS Director Jeffrey Glover agreed, adding the Turquoise Alert “can make a critical difference” in the location of missing people and help bring them home safely.
Tribal groups applaud the effort and are thanking the governor for her efforts for the new alert, which has a website: azdps.gov/turquoise-alert.
Paul Russell, president of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, said tribal communities have for many years faced crises involving missing and murdered Indigenous persons without any advanced emergency systems to help locate those people.
“Seconds count anywhere an Arizonan goes missing, a fact that our Native communities know all too well,” said Ak-Chin Indian Community Chairman Gabriel Lopez.
A “Turquoise Alert” was deemed appropriate because turquoise is an important gemstone to Indigenous nations.
Alerts will be disseminated through the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alert, Arizona Department of Transportation vehicle messaging boards, social media platforms, and the Arizona DPS Alerts website. Law enforcement officers will also receive an all points bulletin.
Amber Alerts for children, Blue Alerts for people suspected of killing or injuring a law enforcement officer, and Silver Alerts for people over 65 or with certain conditions will still be available and issued when necessary.
Other states with a Turquoise Alert-type system include California, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington.
