BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
In a key step toward improving public safety, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implemented a new nationwide warning system designed expressly for missing and endangered Indigenous people. This effort intends to fill a critical vacuum in the current alert infrastructure, which has frequently left Indigenous communities with insufficient resources to locate missing loved ones. The new “MEP” (Missing Endangered Person) alert code will be a valuable tool in the prompt recovery of missing Indigenous people who do not fulfill the criteria for Amber or Silver Alerts.
Why is the MEP alert necessary?
Indigenous people in the United States endure disproportionate rates of assault, homicide, and disappearance, and they frequently receive less attention than other missing people. According to the FBI, about 10,600 American Indian and Alaska Native people went missing last year, with around 3,300 of them being adults. However, many of these cases did not meet the criteria for current alert systems such as Amber Alerts, which are generally used for missing children, and Silver Alerts, which are used for missing senior people.
“The new MEP alert code harmonizes emergency alerts nationwide,” stated FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. “Put simply, this Order will help save lives.”
How does the MEP alert system work?
The MEP alert, modeled after the Amber Alert system, will send urgent messages to cellphones, televisions, and radios, delivering critical information to the public when an Indigenous person goes missing. This system enables tribal, state, and municipal law enforcement organizations to send out notifications that reach the public quickly, increasing the odds of finding and retrieving missing people.
Lavina Willie-Nez, Amber Alert coordinator for the Navajo Nation Police Department, emphasized the significance of the new system, saying, “Each time an Indigenous person goes missing, we lose a part of our heritage and culture.” She also stated that the MEP alert number “will greatly assist the Navajo Nation and other tribes where individuals go missing and are in danger.”
The need for speed
In cases involving missing persons, quick information distribution is paramount. “Time is always of the essence with these cases,” said Cara Chambers, head of the Wyoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force. The sooner the public is informed, the greater the likelihood of a successful recovery.
Chambers acknowledged the complexity of reporting missing persons, noting, “It’s better to notify local law enforcement of a person’s disappearance than to not. The worst that could happen is that they locate this person and [the person] is like, ‘No, I’m fine.’ If [the] family has a reasonable belief that there is reason to be concerned, I think we take that seriously.”
State-level initiatives to protect vulnerable populations
While the FCC’s MEP alert is a federal program, numerous states have previously established similar alert systems to safeguard vulnerable communities. In 2022, Washington state implemented its own Missing Indigenous Person Alert system, which notifies the public via highway reader boards, radio, and social media when an Indigenous person goes missing. This system has raised much-needed awareness about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
California has also made progress in this area, launching the “Feather Alert” system in 2022 for missing Indigenous people and the “Ebony Alert” system in 2023 for missing Black children and young women. These methods are intended to ensure that marginalized communities receive the same attention and resources as other missing persons situations. As California State Senator Steven Bradford stated, “The Ebony Alert will ensure that vital resources and attention are given so we can bring home missing Black children and women in the same way we search for any missing child and missing person.”
A step forward for protecting Indigenous communities
The FCC’s implementation of the MEP alert code represents a significant step forward in addressing the inequities that have long afflicted Indigenous communities in the United States. The MEP system, by giving law enforcement authorities a new tool to send urgent alerts, has the potential to improve the chances of retrieving missing Indigenous people and, as a result, protecting these vulnerable communities.
