Blue alerts, AMBER alerts, Silver alerts — what do all these emergency messages mean in NC?
We often see emergency alerts sent out to cell phones, televisions and radio stations during dangerous situations.
On Dec. 30, people across North Carolina were sent a mass message unlike any other before: a Blue Alert.
The statewide alert was sent Saturday night after an off-duty police officer was shot and killed at a gas station near Greensboro, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. The emergency alert, which had never before been activated in North Carolina, was sent to help find the suspects.
Aside from Blue Alerts, there are several other emergency alerts that are activated by the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons that are shared on television, radio stations, digital billboards, cell phones and more.
Here’s what each alert system means and what to know if you receive an emergency message:
AMBER Alert
AMBER Alerts, which stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, were originally created in Texas in honor of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and killed in 1996. North Carolina’s statewide system, formerly named The North Carolina Child Alert Notification (NC CAN) System, is used to help find criminally abducted children in their area.
Ashanti Alert
The Ashanti Alert system, established in 2018 by President Donald Trump, was created in honor of 19-year-old Ashanti Billie who was abducted and killed in Virginia. Ashanti Alerts are issued to aid in the search for those between the ages of 18 and 64 who are missing.
Blue Alert
The Blue Alert system was implemented in 2015 by President Barack Obama in honor of two New York City Police Detectives who were assassinated while sitting in their police patrol car. Modeled after the AMBER and Silver Alerts, Blue Alerts are used to help find suspects who kill or cause serious bodily injury to local, state, or federal law enforcement officers.
What is a Blue Alert and why does North Carolina have it?
Missing Endangered Alert
In 2007, The North Carolina General Assembly formally established the Missing Endangered Alert system to share information about a missing person who is believed to be suffering from cognitive impairment who may be endangered. The statewide alerts are issued for those that need to be protected from potential abuse or other physical harm, neglect, or exploitation so that anyone in the affected area can let law enforcement know of any information.
Silver Alert
North Carolina’s Silver Alert program is used to share information to assist in the search for any missing elderly person who may be endangered. Formally established in 2007, Silver alerts are issued for adults 50 and older who are believed to be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease that requires protection from physical harm, neglect, or exploitation.
You can find more information about the state emergency alerts charged by The N.C. Center for Missing Persons online at nccmp.ncdps.gov/.
