|
Attorney
General Mike DeWine…
Ohioans
can
now Register for Blue Alerts
(COLUMBUS,
Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that Ohioans
can now
get Blue Alert information sent directly to their cell phone, email or
fax
machine.
The Ohio
Blue Alert system went into effect earlier this month.
Similar to an AMBER Alert, which
notifies the
public of a kidnapped child, a Blue Alert will rapidly broadcast
information to
the public advising them of an at-large suspect who has killed,
seriously
injured, or kidnapped an Ohio peace officer.
“It’s
critical that the public work with law enforcement in this type of
situation,”
said Attorney General DeWine. “The
goal
is for residents to help officers locate and apprehend the person
responsible
before they can do additional harm.”
A Blue
Alert will be issued when there is sufficient descriptive information
about the
suspect or the circumstances surrounding a law enforcement officer’s
injury,
death or disappearance.
Residents
can also choose to receive Blue Alerts sent as a text message, email or
fax by
signing up on the Ohio Attorney General’s Website .
Updates through social media are also
available.
Once a Blue
Alert is activated, authorities throughout the state will also relay
the
information through television, radio and newspaper, on highway signs,
and
through truckers’ alerts.
Those with
information on a Blue Alert can contact authorities by calling
1-877-262-3764.
The Blue
Alert program is operated by Ohio’s AMBER Alert Steering Committee
which is
made up of the Ohio Attorney General’s Missing Person’s Unit; Ohio
Highway
Patrol; Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association; Ohio Association of Chiefs
of
Police; Ohio Emergency Management Agency; Ohio Department of
Transportation;
Ohio Association of Broadcasters; State Emergency Communications
Committee; and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Other
states that already use the Blue Alert system include Alabama,
California,
Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
For Blue
Alert signup at the Attorney General’s website, click here
|
