The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has introduced a new alert code with the aim of aiding in the rescue of missing and endangered individuals. This code will deliver crucial alert messages to the public through television, radio, and wireless phones.
The recently introduced MEP Alert, unveiled on August 7th, is the new emergency alert code used in cases involving missing and endangered individuals.
The Ashanti Alert Act of 2018, as per the Bureau of Justice Assistance, grants authority to the U.S. Attorney General to create a nationwide communications network. This network aims to support and streamline the search operations for missing individuals who do not qualify for AMBER Alerts and Silver Alerts. It particularly focuses on those who are over the age of 17, adults with special needs or unique circumstances, as well as adults who are endangered or have been involuntarily abducted or kidnapped.
The FCC emphasized in its announcement on August 7 that the new MEP Alert would provide significant benefits to Tribal communities, where American Indians and Alaska Natives face an increased risk of violence, murder, or disappearance.
According to FBI statistics for 2023, the FCC highlights that there were 10,650 reported cases of missing American Indian/Alaska Natives. Out of these cases, 3,269 individuals were 18 years old or older.
The high rate of assault, missing, and murdered indigenous people is attributed by the U.S. Department of Interior Indian Affairs to a legacy of government policies of forced removal, land seizures, and violence inflicted on Native peoples.
Historical trauma and the breakdown of cultural structures have made Indigenous people more susceptible to exploitation by both individuals within and outside their tribal communities. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that Indigenous individuals, particularly women, have experienced significantly higher rates of violence.
According to the 2016/17 National Intimate Partner Sexual Violence Survey – Report on Stalking, it was found that around 48.8% or one in two American Indian and Alaska Native Women experienced stalking at some point in their lives. This alarming statistic highlights the potential danger they face, as stalking often serves as a precursor to more severe acts of violence, such as sexual assault or kidnapping.
The new MEP Alert is not only for Native Americans but also for all individuals who meet the criteria. It is important to note that 35% of the missing individuals in America who are over 18 years of age are Black individuals.
In Prior Lake, Minnesota, on July 31, Jessica Rosenworcel, chair of the FCC, addressed the annual meeting of Women Empowering Women For Indigenous Nations. During her speech, she announced the upcoming MEP Alert.
According to her, the facts are well-known but it’s important to reiterate them. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has estimated that there are over four thousand unsolved cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Natives. The Federal Bureau of Investigation states that the number of missing individuals from these groups is more than two and a half times their proportion in the overall United States population.
According to Rosenworcel, the AMBER Alert system has proven to be highly successful in locating young individuals.
Kraus, a member of the Tlingit Nation of southeastern Alaska, emphasized that Native people and tribal nations have long been aware of the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous persons. This issue has been a concern for generations, and recently, federal agencies have taken active steps to address it. The United States Congress has passed laws and implemented measures to not only raise awareness about the issue but also to work towards resolving the underlying issues that have caused such trauma for families who have lost their loved ones to violence or disappearance.
Krause and Native Public Media, a tribal association that runs radio stations, supported a resolution at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in New Orleans in November 2023. The resolution urged the FCC to create an emergency code that would specifically address the unique circumstances and difficulties faced by adult American Indian and Alaskans who were missing or endangered.
The NCAI is urgently requesting the FCC to create a dedicated National Emergency Alert System (EAS) event code for Missing and Endangered Persons (MEP) who are American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN). This code would ensure that AI/AN adults over the age of 21, who are not covered by AMBER Alerts, are promptly identified and alerted through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) on various platforms including radio, television, and internet. By establishing a specific event code for missing and endangered AI/AN adults, it would increase the likelihood of locating and protecting these individuals in a timely and efficient manner.
In the spring and summer consultation meetings with tribes, Kraus was captivated by the incredible stories shared by tribal people who are actively working towards raising awareness and finding solutions to the MMIW issue.
According to the speaker, tribal communities played a significant role in driving change. The FCC commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the MEP Alert earlier this month. As a result, the implementation of this program will take place over the next year.
According to Kraus, the FCC has one year to fully implement the new MEP Alert after it is published in the Federal Register.
According to the speaker, alerts are still being sent out, but some certain changes and upgrades need to be made to the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alert System. These changes involve software and equipment upgrades, which will take about a year to complete before they are fully enforced.
If a MEP Alert is required within the next 12 months, Kraus was asked if there is a guarantee it will be deployed.
According to the speaker, she believes that describing it as a great step forward would be a more accurate representation. With any modifications made to the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alert System, there are technical enhancements that need to be implemented behind the scenes. As a result, there is a one-year transition period for the alert senders to prepare and ensure its national-level usability.
Tribal Police
Timothy DeBrot, Sr., Chief of Police for the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is enthusiastic about the new MEP Alert. He believes that this new system has the potential to offer more flexibility compared to AMBER Alerts, particularly for missing children who do not meet the criteria of AMBER Alert, such as runaways. Although the MEP Alert is primarily intended for adults over 17, DeBrot is not the only person in Indian Country who envisions that this system could eventually be utilized as an alert for missing children who are not covered by the AMBER Alert system.
Issuing a widespread emergency announcement, DeBrot emphasized the effectiveness of using a tool like an AMBER Alert for law enforcement purposes.
Task force advocate
Rene Ann Goodrich, a member of the Bad River Tribe and an advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) since 2014, expressed her excitement about the new MEP Alert. She considers it a significant breakthrough in addressing this issue.
Goodrich actively participates in various organizations and initiatives focused on addressing the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Notably, she is a member of both the Wisconsin and Minnesota MMIW Task Force. Additionally, Goodrich is the founder of the Native Lives Matter Coalition and a member of Native Lives Matter Great Lakes, No More MMIWR (relatives) Great Lakes, and the Indigenous Women Treaty Alliance. Through her involvement in these groups, Goodrich works tirelessly to raise awareness and advocate for justice for Indigenous women.
The Wisconsin and Minnesota MMIW Task Force organizations have long been advocating for the implementation of an emergency alert system specifically designed for missing Indigenous people. According to one representative, discussions have been ongoing for the past five years regarding the most effective way to utilize existing infrastructure, such as the AMBER Alerts and Silver Alerts, to create a dedicated MMIW Alert.
In her statement, she emphasized that the MEP Alert was specifically designed to address the unique circumstances faced by indigenous peoples and endangered populations. She highlighted the fact that individuals from these communities often go missing for a variety of reasons, including cases involving children. As a result, their cases may not fit within the traditional guidelines for reporting missing persons.
Goodrich shares DeBrot’s belief that the newly introduced MEP Alert will serve as a valuable tool for locating missing children who may not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert. She emphasizes that historically, law enforcement has not always treated cases involving missing Indigenous individuals with the same level of urgency and concern.
In the past, there was a tendency to dismiss and overlook the Indigenous population, attributing their disappearances to alcohol or drug-related issues, or assuming they had simply run away. This led to a significant stigma and a lack of comprehensive search efforts. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in perspective. The negative stigma associated with the Indigenous community is being challenged, and there is now a growing recognition of the need to give 100% effort in searching for and addressing the disappearances of Indigenous individuals.
Indigenous people, she noted, frequently do not receive the same level of attention as missing white individuals. This phenomenon, known as “Missing White Girl Syndrome,” highlights the disproportionate media coverage given to high-profile missing persons cases involving white individuals, while cases involving people of color are often overlooked.
The new MEP Alert system will encompass a wide range of areas, spanning multiple legal jurisdictions, including those crossing state lines.
Tribal communities, being sovereign nations, may or may not have a strong rapport with neighboring law enforcement agencies for reporting cases of missing individuals. In such cases, the MEP Alert serves as a crucial tool to disseminate the relevant information across multiple law enforcement agencies.
According to Goodrich, this alert solves the problem of jurisdictional issues that often arise.
Goodrich shares DeBrot’s belief that the MEP Alert, on a larger scale, will effectively engage the public and contribute to the search for missing persons. She is particularly confident that the MEP Alert will play a crucial role in intercepting human traffickers who are known to frequently relocate their victims.
Having a widespread MEP Alert, according to Goodrich, leads to increased media attention and heightened awareness of the missing person. This, in turn, captures the attention of the media and raises awareness among the public.
