Missing and Endangered (MEP) Event Code

By Kaleb Roedel of Mountain West News Bureau

Editor: Dave Rosenthal of Mountain West News Bureau

March 3, 2024 – A national center for Native radio and TV broadcasters is leading an effort to establish an alert code for missing and endangered adults.

In 2022, more than 10-thousand Indigenous people were reported missing to the FBI. That’s a higher rate of disappearance than the general population.

That’s why Native Public Media is petitioning the FCC to create the Missing and Endangered Persons event code, similar to the Amber Alert for missing children.

Loris Taylor is the CEO of Native Public Media and a member of Arizona’s Hopi Nation.

“Native Americans face a crisis, we’re three times more likely to experience violent crime. And there's been a wave of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls for a very long time.”

She says a dedicated national alert would help law enforcement and communities locate these individuals.

On March 14th, the FCC will discuss the proposed alert code. If approved, a public comment period on its proposed rules would follow.

Listen here: