Luján Statement on New Emergency Alert Code For Missing and Endangered Persons

Santa Fe, N.M. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, and member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, issued the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adoption of a new alert option to deliver critical messages to the public over television and radio about missing and endangered persons:

“Under the leadership of Chairwoman Rosenworcel, the FCC is taking an important step to address the scourge of violence against Native communities. This new alert code will help law enforcement provide the public with time-sensitive information to save lives and keep families together. Similar to AMBER Alerts that are used to find children, this alert code will be dedicated to missing and endangered persons.

“I am hopeful that this new code will save lives in New Mexico and across the nation. As a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I remain focused on protecting Native communities, improving public safety, and ensuring that no one is left behind or forgotten.”

Background:

Adding a new “MEP” event code to the nation’s Emergency Alert System would help law enforcement agencies to galvanize public attention to missing and endangered people of all ages who do not qualify for AMBER Alerts, including those who meet the criteria for Ashanti Alerts.

Similar to how law enforcement agencies successfully use AMBER Alerts on TV and radio to help mobilize public attention and recover abducted children, this new Missing and Endangered Persons event code would mobilize the public’s help in recovering missing and endangered persons more broadly. 

Senator Luján previously urged the full Commission to take action on the proposed rule.

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