OLYMPIA, Wash. — After a bill creating an alert system for the missing indigenous women and people within Washington passed the state Senate this year, the Missing Indigenous Person Alert System (M.I.P.A.) will be launched on Friday.
Beginning July, the Washington State Patrol's (WSP) Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit (MUPU) will add the specific designation of Missing Indigenous Persons to the Endangered Missing Alerts Systems that is already in place.
Those alerts include AMBER Alerts highlighting missing children, SILVER Alerts highlighting missing seniors, and ENDANGERED MISSING PERSON Alerts highlighting missing adults.
The system will help distribute information about missing Indigenous people, similar to a Silver Alert or an Amber Alert.
Washington has the second-highest number of missing Indigenous people in the U.S. Indigenous women and people go missing more than four times more than white women, according to research conducted by the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle.
Currently, 54 Indigenous people from Washington are listed as missing in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS), dating from January 2022 to 1968.
Carrie Gordon MUPU director said in a written statement that the launch of M.I.P.A is a significant step for Washington state and the organization.
“We know that indigenous people go missing at a significantly higher rate than the general population," Gordon said. "WSP currently has two full time tribal liaisons that work with tribal law enforcement and advocacy groups to coordinate state communications and response to this issue."
Gordon said the new M.I.P.A. system will be a fastest search tool for the state that will allow to find and assist indigenous people who are in danger.
“Hopefully, like our other alerts, the system will not be needed very often. But when it is needed and used, we feel it can be a very helpful tool in recovery," Gordon said.
According to the WSP statement, not every missing person will qualify for the various missing persons alerts in the system.
Some situations may not qualify for inclusion, for example, if a person can return on their own but chooses not to, if there are no indicators of foul play, or if there is inadequate identifying information to make the alert viable,
This is the criteria for the system to be activated:
- If an indigenous person is missing due to unexplained, involuntary, or suspicious circumstances and/or is believed to be in danger because of age, health, adverse weather, or other circumstances and is believed to be unable to return to safety without assistance.
- If there is enough descriptive information available that could reasonably assist with the safe recovery of the person such as photos, height, weight, age, hair color, distinguishing physical characteristics, clothing, etc.
- If the incident has been reported to and is being investigated by law enforcement.
Once an M.I.P.A. is activated, all Washington law enforcement will be notified electronically and MUPU will distribute the information via email and fax to a list of subscribers.
The investigating agency will notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children if the missing person is 21 years old or under. WSDOT will begin displaying known vehicle information on the Variable Message Signs and Highway Advisory Radios in appropriate areas.
In addition, cable and local broadcasters will be alerted and have the information for appropriate distribution to their audiences.
M.I.P.A. is the first alert of its kind in the U.S., and it will be activated at 12 a.m. on Friday, July 1st. People can subscribe to receive alerts. To subscribe, visit the WSP website.
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