25-09 - Statewide Emergency Alerts

VOLUME 25 NUMBER 09                                                                      Date: November 26, 2025

STATEWIDE EMERGENCY ALERTS

PURPOSE

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide comprehensive information about the different types of emergency alerts available to sworn Department members and to ensure that all personnel are well-informed and prepared to handle any emergency situation that may arise. By disseminating important updates, instructions, and guidance, we hope to minimize the risk of harm to individuals and ensure the citizens we serve are safe.

The California Highway Patrol initiates these alerts and provides pertinent information to law enforcement and the public to assist in the recovery of at-risk missing persons or apprehension of dangerous suspects involved in violent attacks on law enforcement officers or deadly hit-and-run incidents. 

BACKGROUND

The Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC) is the designated coordinator for missing person alerts in the state.  This vital service helps authorities locate and recover individuals who are missing or endangered.  There are several types of alerts that ENTAC manages, including the Silver Alert, used to locate senior citizens who may have cognitive impairments or other disabilities; the Feather Alert, used to locate missing Native American individuals; the Ebony Alert, used to locate missing Black youth; the Blue Alert, used to locate suspects who have killed or seriously injured a law enforcement officer; the AMBER Alert, used to locate abducted children; the Yellow Alert, used to locate suspects who have been involved in a fatal hit and run; and the Endangered Missing Advisory, used to locate missing individuals who may be at risk due to their age or medical condition. By providing critical information to law enforcement and the public, ENTAC helps ensure that missing persons are located and returned to safety as quickly as possible.

The following is a list of the emergency alerts available for Department members to utilize and the criteria necessary for the activation of each alert:

AMBER Alert

The America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alert is an emergency alert used when a child or an individual who has a proven mental or physical disability has been abducted/taken.  The following criteria must be met before initiating an AMBER Alert:

• It has been confirmed that an abduction has occurred;

• The victim is 17 years old or younger or has a proven mental or physical disability;

• The victim is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death; and

• Information is available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim.

Feather Alert

A Feather Alert is an emergency alert used when an indigenous woman or person goes missing under suspicious or unexplained circumstances.  The following criteria must be met before initiating a Feather Alert:

• The missing person is an indigenous woman or indigenous person;

• The investigating law enforcement agency has utilized available local and tribal resources;

• The law enforcement agency determines that the person is missing;

• The law enforcement agency believes that the indigenous woman/person is in danger and is missing under circumstances that indicate any of the following:

1) the missing person's physical safety may be endangered;

2) the missing person may be subject to trafficking; or

3) the missing person suffers from a mental or physical disability or a substance use disorder.

• There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

Silver Alert

A Silver Alert is an emergency alert used when an elderly, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired, person has gone missing and is determined to be at risk.  The following criteria must be met before initiating a Silver Alert:

• The missing person is 65 years of age or older, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired;

• The investigating law enforcement agency has utilized all available local resources;

• The law enforcement agency determines that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances;

• The law enforcement agency believes that the person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, environment or weather conditions, the person is in the company of a potentially dangerous person, or other factors indicating that the person may be in peril; and

• There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

Ebony Alert

An Ebony Alert is an emergency alert used when Black youth go missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.  The following criteria must be met before initiating an Ebony Alert:

• The law enforcement agency determines that there is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person;

• The missing person is between 12 to 25 years of age, inclusive;

• The investigating law enforcement agency has used all available local resources and at least one of the following conditions are met:

  • The law enforcement agency determines that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, including circumstances that indicate any of the following:

    • The missing person's physical safety may be endangered
    • The missing person may be subject to trafficking
  • The law enforcement agency believes that the person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, environmental 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.

Endangered Missing Advisory

An Endangered Missing Advisory is an emergency alert used to assist in locating missing individuals who may be at risk due to their age or medical condition. The following criteria must be met before initiating an Endangered Missing Advisory:

• The missing person is developmentally disabled, cognitively impaired, has been abducted, or is unable to otherwise care for themselves, placing their physical safety at risk;

• The investigating law enforcement agency has utilized all available local resources.

• The law enforcement agency determines that the person has gone missing under unexplainable or suspicious circumstances;

• The law enforcement agency believes that the person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, or environment or weather conditions; is in the company of a potentially dangerous person; or any other factors indicating that the person may be in peril.

• There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

Blue Alert

A Blue Alert is an emergency alert used to assist in locating and apprehending a suspect(s) who has perpetrated a violent attack against a member of law enforcement, and the suspect poses an imminent threat to law enforcement or the general public. The following criteria must be met before initiating a Blue Alert:

• A law enforcement officer has been killed, suffers serious bodily injury, or is assaulted with a deadly weapon, and the suspect has fled the scene of the offense;

• A law enforcement agency investigating the offense has determined that the suspect poses an imminent threat to the public or other law enforcement personnel;

• A detailed description of the suspect’s vehicle or license plate is available for broadcast; and

• Public dissemination of available information may help avert further harm or accelerate the apprehension of the suspect.

Yellow Alert

A Yellow Alert is an emergency alert used to assist in locating and apprehending a suspect involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident. The following criteria must be met before initiating a Yellow Alert:

• A person has been killed due to a hit-and-run incident;

• There is an indication that a suspect has fled the scene utilizing the state highway system or is likely to be observed by the public on the state highway system;

• The investigating law enforcement agency has additional information concerning the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle, including but not limited to:

  • The complete license plate number of the suspect's vehicle;

  • A partial license plate number and additional unique identifying characteristics, such as the make, model, and color of the suspect's vehicle, which could reasonably lead to the apprehension of a suspect; or

  • The identity of a suspect;

• Public dissemination of available information could either help avert further harm or accelerate the apprehension of a suspect.

If you require further information, contact Field Operations Support Services at (323) 890-5411 or fossunit@lasd.org.

REFERENCES

AMBER Alert

Feather Alert

Silver Alert

Ebony Alert

Endangered Missing Advisory

Blue Alert

Yellow Alert