Native Americans go missing at a than the national average. According to the , Native people account for 16% of missing persons in New Mexico. A bill in the legislature would help address that with a new alert system.
passed the Senate unanimously Saturday and would amend the Missing Person Information and Reporting Act to include a Turquoise Alert for Native Americans who are enrolled and go missing.
An alert would go out immediately across the state without having to wait the standard 48 hours for a missing person.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Angel Charley (D-Acoma) who is Laguna and Din茅. Rep.Michelle Paulene Abeyta (D-To'hajilee), who is Din茅, is a co-sponsor. She said in her large rural district, it can take law enforcement a long time to respond to emergencies.
鈥淎nd I'm not talking a few hours, I'm talking days,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd when someone goes missing or someone's endangered, we need these alerts to go out right away.鈥�
The bill passed with an amendment that refines the criteria for issuing an alert to high-risk cases. It鈥檚 now in the .
The bill would require the Department of Public Safety to develop a plan for getting alerts out to law enforcement and the public.
This bill does not include a direct appropriation but a states there may be recurring costs for state agencies to implement the alert system.
At least three other states including, , and have passed similar legislation in recent years.
Support from the coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
