MONTGOMERY – Today, Feb. 3, is National Missing Persons Day, an ideal time for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to showcase its statewide alert system and bring awareness to the public of individuals still missing in this state alone.
ALEA’s Alabama Fusion Center (AFC) is charged with issuing statewide alerts – AMBER, Emergency Missing Child, Missing and Endangered Persons and Blue – with assistance from the Alabama Broadcasters Association (ABA) and other partners.
ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said, “We greatly value our collaboration with both the ABA’s broadcast media members and the Alabama Press Association’s (APA) print media members, all of whom immediately disseminate the information to their audiences. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is another key organization, utilizing its statewide digital message board system to immediately share details on alerts. These partnerships are a vital link to galvanizing communities to assist in the search and safe recovery of missing persons in Alabama.”
Secretary Taylor also noted the importance of ALEA’s high-speed notification system known as CodeRED, which launched in 2021. The Fusion Center uses this new state-of-the-art program to issue alerts to citizens who have subscribed to receive notifications in the case of missing persons or during emergency situations.
He said, “Today, as we mark National Missing Persons Day, we want to remind citizens across the state to consider subscribing to the new notification system,” one of many functions the multifaceted agency has implemented in recent months to improve overall operations and better serve Alabama citizens.
AFC Director Jay Moseley said the public’s participation in CodeRED will provide a direct conduit between public safety officials and local communities. “CodeRed allows us to disseminate missing person alerts via phone, text, email and social media; however, citizens have the ability to select their preferred means of communication.”
When a person of any age goes missing, their loved ones should contact their local law enforcement, who will reach out to the AFC to determine whether it meets criteria for one of the four types of alerts:
- AMBER Alert: A child younger than age 18 has been abducted and is believed to be in danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- Emergency Missing Child Alert: A child younger than 18 is missing (not abducted) and is believed to be in danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- Missing and Endangered Persons Alert: A person is missing, living with a mental or physical disability, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or autism and is at risk of bodily harm or death.
- Blue Alert: A Peace Officer is missing, injured or killed, and the suspect is at large and is believed to be a serious threat to the public.
For additional information about the alert system and/or to subscribe to CodeRED, please visit www.alea.gov.
