5-09/120.52 - Ebony Alert

California Government Code section 8594.14 establishes a new missing person alert for when Black youth, including young women and girls, who are reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, at risk, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired, or who have been abducted. The Legislature intends to provide law enforcement with additional tools to disseminate timely, accurate information to engage the public more effectively in assisting with locating missing Black youth.  The California Emergency Services Act authorizes the use of the Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC) to inform the public of local, state, and national emergencies.  Existing law requires a law enforcement agency to activate the Emergency Alert System within the appropriate area when that agency identifies critical alert criteria.

An Ebony Alert will be activated when specific criteria involving missing Black youth are met.  It allows the California Highway Patrol to issue a be-on-the-lookout alert, electronic flyer, or the use of changeable message signs in cases where a vehicle may be involved, and specific identifying information about the vehicle is available for public dissemination.

An Ebony Alert may be requested when sworn Department personnel are dispatched to a call regarding a missing person and after evaluating the following factors determines that an Ebony Alert would be an effective tool in the investigation:

• The missing person is between 12 to 25 years of age;
• The missing person suffers from a mental or physical disability;
• The person is missing under circumstances that indicate any of the following:                                    o The missing person’s physical safety may be endangered;                                                              o The missing person may be subject to trafficking;
• The person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances;
• The person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, environment or weather conditions, that the person is in the company of a potentially dangerous person, or that there are other     factors indicating that the person may be in peril;
• Available local resources have been utilized; and
• There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

If the missing person is an adult, investigating personnel shall notify the Homicide Bureau, on-call detective, at (323) 890-5500 and a copy of the approved report will be emailed to the Homicide Bureau Missing Person Unit (MissingPersons2@lasd.org).  If the missing person is a juvenile, investigating personnel shall notify that station’s on-call detective.

Investigating personnel shall request the Sheriff’s Communications Center (SCC) to activate an Ebony Alert if the specific criteria are identified. When criteria for multiple Emergency Alerts are met, SCC will determine which alert(s) are initiated.

Department personnel shall also follow existing Department policy and procedures pertaining to missing persons, as directed in the following Manual of Policy and Procedures (MPP) section(s), where applicable:

• 5-09/120.00, Missing Persons (Definitions)
• 5-09/120.03, Missing Persons
• 5-09/120.04, Missing Person Check Off Forms
• 5-09/120.05, Missing Children
• 5-09/120.50, Missing Adults

SHERIFF'S COMMUNICATIONS CENTER RESPONSIBILITIES:

The final decision to initiate an Ebony Alert shall be the responsibility of the SCC Watch Commander.  After receiving the information from the Station/Unit and consulting the Station/Unit Watch Commander, the SCC Watch Commander shall determine if the information meets the Ebony Alert criteria.  If the criteria are not met, the SCC Watch Commander will discuss other available options with the Station/Unit Watch Commander and Homicide Bureau Missing Person Detail to determine the best course of action.

If an Ebony Alert is to be initiated, the SCC Watch Commander shall ensure that the Sheriff's Information Bureau is notified of the Ebony Alert.

If an abduction has occurred, all necessary data shall be immediately entered into the JDIC screen designed to notify the Emergency Digital Information Service (EDIS) of the abduction.

An audio message shall be recorded describing the abductor, the victim, and any vehicle or other pertinent information.  This audio message will be used on the Emergency Alert System.  Photographs of the victim will not, in most cases, be available for the initial JDIC/EDIS message.  Therefore, once the JDIC/EDIS message is complete, with or without the photograph, it shall be sent immediately.

After the EDIS alert has been broadcast, the SCC Watch Commander shall initiate an Emergency Alert System warning message.  This EAS warning message will be received by various media agencies, who may or may not broadcast the Ebony Alert message.

Upon receipt of any photographs, SCC shall forward all scanned images of the victim/suspect via e-mail to the California Highway Patrol Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC).  After the e-mail has been sent, the SCC Watch Commander shall telephone ENTAC to confirm receipt of photographs and request they be entered into the TRAK system.  The SCC Watch Commander shall also request the Department of the California Highway Patrol to begin posting victim/suspect/vehicle information on Changeable Message Signs within the designated target area.

References

Ebony Alert

California Highway Patrol Alerts