Alerts

The Michigan AMBER Alert plan is a partnership between law enforcement and the media to help in the immediate dissemination of information to the public about an abducted child. AMBER Alerts are urgent bulletins issued utilizing the Emergency Alert System to interrupt radio and television broadcasting in the most serious child-abduction cases. The America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry. Amber Alert of Michigan is supported by the Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Lottery, Michigan Sheriff's Association, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

MCL 28.751, et seq. establishes the Michigan Amber Alert Program and places the responsibility for the Michigan AMBER Alert system with the Department of State Police.

The approval and activation requirements for an AMBER Alert include:

• Law enforcement believes a child under 18 has been abducted and is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. 
• There is sufficient information available to disseminate to the general public which could assist with the safe recovery of the child and/or the apprehension of the suspect. 

If you are a law enforcement official who wants to request an AMBER Alert, please call the Michigan State Police at 1-517-241-8000. 

The law enforcement agency investigating a case of an abducted child contacts the Michigan State Police, supplying information on the case and requesting an AMBER Alert. If the request meets the AMBER Alert activation criteria, the Michigan State Police will issue an AMBER Alert to radio and television stations via the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The AMBER Alert interrupts broadcasting to supply information about the abducted child. A Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) will also be issued to alert mobile devices in a desired geographic region about the AMBER Alert.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. There are three types of alerts: Extreme weather and other threatening emergencies in your area, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential alerts during a national emergency. A WEA will look like a text message. The WEA message will show the type and time of the alert, any action you should take, and the agency issuing the alert. The message will be no more than 90 characters. You can opt out of receiving WEA messages for imminent threats and AMBER Alerts, but not for Presidential messages. To opt out, adjust settings on your mobile device (if you don’t know how to do this, contact your mobile carrier for information).

The EMA is used for cases involving missing persons that DO NOT meet the AMBER Alert criteria. The EMA can be utilized for endangered missing persons of all ages. The EMA is a notification sent via email to media in the affected geographic region(s) with information about an endangered missing person, in hopes the media will publicize the information in an effort to enlist the public's help in locating the missing person.

An EMA can be issued when:

• The circumstances of the endangered missing person DO NOT meet the AMBER Alert criteria, but the person is missing under suspicious unexplained circumstances or the missing person is believed to be in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, environment, weather conditions, or in the company of a potentially dangerous person or some other factor that may expose the person to serious harm or injury.
• Public information is available that could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

If you are a law enforcement official who wants to request an Endangered Missing Advisory, please call the Michigan State Police at 1-517-241-8000.

The law enforcement agency investigating the endangered missing person case contacts the Michigan State Police, supplying information on the case. If the request meets the activation criteria, the Michigan State Police will issue the Endangered Missing Advisory via email to news media in the affected geographic region(s) with information about the endangered missing person, in hopes the media will publicize the information in an effort to enlist the public’s help in locating the missing person.  

The Public Threat Alert System, created by Public Act 235 of 2016, is designed to warn the public of an immediate threat to public safety.  A public threat is defined as, “a clear, present, persistent, ongoing, and random threat to public safety.  A public threat includes, but is not limited to, an act of terrorism, an unresolved mass shooting, or an unresolved mass shooting spree.” 

The Public Threat Alert is maintained by the Department of State Police. It is designed to rapidly disseminate useful information to radio and television stations within this state and to wireless devices through the existing wireless emergency alert system operated under federal law.

The Public Threat Alert System will be activated through the Michigan State Police (MSP) Operations Unit upon request of a law enforcement agency, Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), or Regional Communications Center (RCC), when the following criteria are met:

• A specific and identifiable threat exists (e.g. active shooter, mass shooting, bombing, etc.) that is not the result of a natural disaster (e.g. tornado, flood, etc.).
• The threat is immediate and ongoing.  
• The threat impacts the safety and welfare of the general public; not just a specific person(s). 
• The suspect(s) have not been apprehended and remain a threat to public safety.
• At the request of the responding agency, the PSAP or RCC has issued an area wide broadcast to law enforcement and 911 centers via the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN).
• Sufficient information to protect the public from danger is available to disseminate.  

In order to request activation of the Public Threat Alert System, the law enforcement agency, PSAP, or RCC shall issue an area wide broadcast to law enforcement and 911 centers via LEIN that provides:

• Specific information regarding the incident to meet the criteria listed above.
• Suspect’s last known location and description, if known.
• Suspect’s vehicle description, if known and applicable.
• Geographic area impacted by the threat (as specific as possible, e.g. city or counties affected).

A representative of the law enforcement agency, primary PSAP, or RCC must then contact the MSP Operations Unit directly at 517-241-8000 to request activation of the Public Threat Alert System.

The following information must be provided to the Operations Unit:

•    Department name
•    Requesting officer
•    Requesting officer’s contact information (direct cell phone number)

Once the area wide broadcast is received and the MSP Operations Unit confirms that it meets the criteria for issuing a Public Threat Alert, the MSP Operations Unit will send an emergency alert to television and radio stations in the affected area and will also create a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) for the incident, which will provide an alert to all wireless devices connected to the cellular network in the designated area.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. There are three types of alerts: Extreme weather and other threatening emergencies in your area, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential alerts during a national emergency. A WEA will look like a text message. The WEA message will show the type and time of the alert, any action you should take, and the agency issuing the alert. The message will be no more than 90 characters. You can opt out of receiving WEA messages for imminent threats and AMBER Alerts, but not for Presidential messages. To opt out, adjust settings on your mobile device (if you don’t know how to do this, contact your mobile carrier for information).

The Mozelle Senior or Vulnerable Adult Medical Act established by Act 176 of 2012 provides for public broadcasting of information regarding missing seniors and vulnerable adults.

“Missing senior or vulnerable adult” means a resident of this state who is one of the following:

• At least 60 years of age and is believed to be incapable of returning to his or her residence without assistance and is reported missing by a person familiar with that individual.
• A vulnerable adult, as that term is defined in section 145m of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.145m, who is reported missing by a person familiar with that individual.
• A person who is missing and suffering from senility or a physical or mental condition that subjects the person or others to personal and immediate danger.

To report a missing senior or vulnerable adult, call 9-1-1 or your nearest law enforcement agency.

A person familiar with the missing senior or vulnerable adult who notifies a law enforcement agency concerning a missing senior or vulnerable adult shall notify the law enforcement agency when he or she becomes aware that the missing senior or vulnerable adult has been found.

 A law enforcement agency that receives notice of a missing senior or vulnerable adult shall prepare a report as soon as practicable. The report should include the following:

• Relevant information obtained from the notification concerning the missing senior or vulnerable adult, including the following:
  • A physical description of the missing senior or vulnerable adult.
  • The date, time, and place that the missing senior or vulnerable adult was last seen.
  • The missing senior's or vulnerable adult's address.
  • Information gathered by a preliminary investigation, if one was made.
  • A statement by the law enforcement officer in charge setting forth that officer's assessment of the case based upon the evidence and information received.

The law enforcement agency receiving the notification will forward the information regarding the missing senior or vulnerable adult to:

• All law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction in the location where the missing senior or vulnerable adult resides and all law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction in the location where the missing senior or vulnerable adult was last seen.
• All law enforcement agencies to which the person who made the notification concerning the missing senior or vulnerable adult requests the report be sent, if the law enforcement agency determines that the request is reasonable.
• All law enforcement agencies that request a copy of the report.
• One or more broadcasters that broadcast in an area where the missing senior or vulnerable adult may be located.

Upon completion of the missing senior or vulnerable adult report, the law enforcement agency may forward a copy of the report to one or more newspapers or broadcasters in an area where the missing senior or vulnerable adult may be located, and request that the broadcaster or newspaper do the following:

• Notify the public that there is a missing senior or vulnerable adult medical alert.
• Broadcast or publish a description of the missing senior or vulnerable adult and any other relevant information that would assist in locating the missing senior or vulnerable adult.

The Michigan Blue Alert Act established by Public Act 167 of 2015 provides for a public broadcast message to assist a law enforcement agency in locating a suspect(s) that is believed to be responsible for the death or serious injury to a law enforcement officer. 

The Michigan Blue Alert will be activated if the following conditions apply:?

• A law enforcement officer has been killed or seriously injured and the law enforcement agency
  investigating the incident has information identifying an individual as a suspect connected to the
  incident.
• The law enforcement agency that is investigating the suspect determines that the suspect poses a
  serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.
• The law enforcement agency investigating the suspect has obtained the suspect's name or can provide a detailed physical description of the suspect, or the suspect's vehicle, vehicle registration plate numbers or letters, or partial registration plate numbers or letters to be made available for broadcast to the public.
• The law enforcement agency investigating the suspect recommends that the state police activate
  the blue alert.

If a Blue Alert is activated, the request is only valid for a 48-hour period. Requests for an extension must be made by contacting the MSP Operations Desk, 517-241-8000.

If you are a law enforcement official who wants to request a Blue Alert, please call the Michigan State Police at 1-517-241-8000.

Once MSP Operations confirms that the request meets the required criteria, useful information will be rapidly disseminated to radio and television stations within the state.