Blue Alert
Blue Alert
In November 2011, the Governor signed into law the BLUE Alert Program (House Bill, 11-1036). The BLUE Alert Program is a cooperative effort among the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), local law enforcement agencies and the state's public and commercial television and radio broadcasters regarding the imminent danger posed by a suspect(s) who has killed or seriously injured a peace officer. The bill mandates the CBI be the liaison between the local law enforcement agency with the case information and the designated public and commercial television and radio broadcasters.
History:
Colorado was the 13th state to implement the BLUE Alert Program. There are currently 37 states with Blue Alert Programs. In 2015, Congress passed the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act, named in honor of two New York City police officers killed in an ambush attach on December 20, 2014, designed to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert programs throughout the United States.
BLUE Alert Criteria & Process:
- A peace officer must have been killed or received life threatening injury involving a substantial risk of death, and the suspect(s) have fled the scene of the offense.
If these criteria are met, a local law enforcement agency will notify the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI.) We will then obtain information about the suspect(s) and circumstances of the offense to begin the alert activation procedure. The BLUE Alert will also include a statement instructing anyone with information to contact local law enforcement and a warning that the suspect(s) are dangerous and for members of the public not to attempt to apprehend the suspect(s).
The CBI will utilize a computerized system to facilitate the activation process where alert information is forwarded to the primary Emergency Alert System (EAS) station to be broadcast to Colorado Media Outlets. In addition to EAS notifications, the CBI utilizes the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system to send push notifications to cellular phones during an activation of the BLUE Alert program.
This information is also emailed to media outlets and partnering organizations. If there is a license plate number associated with a vehicle known to the suspect(s), the Department of Transportation Operation Center may post the plate number on the Variable Message Signs (VMS) on Colorado Highways.
BLUE Alert Cancellation
The cancellation of the BLUE Alert broadcast shall be the responsibility of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The requesting law enforcement agency must contact the CBI designee to deactivate the broadcast once the suspect(s) have been apprehended or at the end of the determined notification period. Further, the CBI will notify the participating radio stations, television stations, and other media outlets in Colorado that the BLUE Alert has been canceled.