Phoenix, AZ – Today, Governor Katie Hobbs announced the launch of the Turquoise Alert, a new tool that will help the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) and law enforcement officers across the state respond when certain vulnerable individuals go missing. At Governor Hobbs' direction, DPS began working on implementation of the Turquoise Alert in early 2025. In May, Governor Hobbs signed bipartisan legislation codifying the alert into law. The alert will be deployed well before the effective date of the legislation due to previous work done by DPS and the Governor's Office.
"The Turquoise Alert is a critical communication tool that will save lives," said Governor Katie Hobbs. "With this alert, we are making sure our law enforcement officers and the public can respond quickly when it matters most. This tool is a meaningful step to improve the safety and wellbeing of communities across Arizona, and in particular Tribal communities, which for too long have suffered from a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people."
"The Turquoise Alert represents a vital step forward in protecting vulnerable individuals in our communities," said AZDPS Director Colonel Jeffrey Glover. "By empowering the public with timely, actionable information, we can make a critical difference in locating those who are missing and bringing them home safely."
"On behalf of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, we deeply respect the efforts of Governor Hobbs to provide critically needed public safety assistance for the 22 Tribes in Arizona. The new Turquoise Alert, also known as, "Emily's Law," will advance safety in Arizona not only within Tribal communities, but throughout the State of Arizona," said Paul Russell, President, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. "Over the years, Tribal communities have faced the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons without advanced emergency systems in place and we see the Turquoise Alert as a proactive step in the right direction."
The Governor's Office, the Governor's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Task Force, and the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board have developed a training curriculum to educate officers about the new alert. The training will consist of an eight-course module that introduces methods and techniques for responding to and investigating cases of missing persons and implementing the new alert.
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Alerts will be disseminated regionally through the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) vehicle messaging system boards, the requesting agency's social media platforms, and the AZDPS Alerts website. Law enforcement agencies across the state will also receive an All-Points Bulletin (APB) Broadcast.
The Turquoise Alert system will be activated when a person goes missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances and is believed to be endangered. An alert will be issued when there is a report of a missing endangered person, including tribal members, under the age of 65, and specific criteria are met, including:- The missing person is under 65 years of age.
- The law enforcement agency investigating the missing person report:
- has used all available local resources;
- has determined that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
- believes that the missing person is in danger or that the missing person is in the company of a potentially dangerous person.
- Sufficient descriptive information is available to assist in their recovery.
The DPS Alert System now broadcasts four different alerts: Amber, Blue, Silver (will be renamed to the SAFE Alert effective September 2025), and Turquoise.- Amber Alerts - An Amber Alert is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies and broadcasters to send out an emergency alert to the public when a child is abducted.
- Blue Alerts - A Blue Alert is activated when a suspect is at large and is suspected of killing or injuring a law enforcement official and poses a threat to the public or law enforcement community.
- Silver Alerts (will be renamed to the Seek and Find Emergency Alert effective September 26, 2025) - A Silver Alert is activated when a person with specific cognitive or developmental disabilities, as defined by statute, or a person the age of 65 or older goes missing. Prior to June 2018, this only applied to persons over 65. Please note, the Silver Alert will be renamed the Seek and Find Emergency (SAFE) Alert beginning September 26, 2025 to reflect the statute signed into law this session that changes the criteria for this alert to include individuals with cognitive disabilities and mandatory officer training.
- Turquoise Alerts - A Turquoise Alert is issued when a report of a missing endangered person, including Tribal members, under the age of 65, and specific activation criteria are met.
Other Tribal leaders also voiced their support for the alert:
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"Seconds count anytime an Arizonan goes missing, a fact that our Native communities know all too well," said Ak-Chin Indian Community Chairman Gabriel Lopez. "The Turquoise Alert will help more quickly notify law enforcement during these emergencies, improving the odds of a person's safe return. I thank Governor Hobbs and lawmakers for their leadership in creating the Turquoise Alert, a fitting tribute to Emily Pike that we are hopeful will save lives."
"As Governor of the Gila River Indian Community - and as a father, a brother, and a son - I feel the weight of every story of a missing loved one," said Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. "The creation of the Turquoise Alert System through Emily's Law is deeply meaningful to me and to all tribal communities in Arizona.
"We have long lived with the painful reality that our Indigenous brothers and sisters go missing at alarming rates and too often slip through the cracks of systems not built to protect them. Emily Pike's story breaks my heart. She was only 14 years old, a young girl with dreams and a family who loved her dearly. Her life was stolen, and her memory calls us to action.
"The Turquoise Alert System gives us a fighting chance to bring our people home. It means no family has to wait in silence, wondering whether anyone is looking for their child, sibling, or parent. It means that law enforcement, media, and the public can unite quickly when time matters most. This law is a promise that Indigenous lives matter, that our people deserve to be found, and that no one should feel invisible. I am grateful to Governor Hobbs, Representative Martinez and every leader who stood behind this effort."
"We thank our state legislators for their bipartisan effort in passing this important bill, now law by Gov. Katie Hobbs and activated across Arizona," said Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. "The Turquoise Alert system is a vital tool designed to help locate and reunite missing Indigenous relatives.
"My office will use this tool in collaboration with existing public safety resources to enhance our emergency response efforts to end the MMIP crisis across the Navajo Nation and in other tribal lands.
"The Navajo Nation and its people, along with Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks across the state, will benefit greatly as we work together to find and end this type of violence and tragedy across the state.
"We also thank everyone for listening to our communities and MMIP advocates, helping them seek justice and ensuring their voices are heard. Together, we are strengthening our commitment to community safety and support." |
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