This recent legislation expands the investigation of missing and murdered Indigenous relative cases, including the creation of a new Missing Indigenous Person Alert (MIPA) through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The legislation can be found here: SB 22-150.
Following stakeholder meetings and a comprehensive rulemaking process, the new alert that focuses on reported missing Indigenous persons goes live on December 30, 2022.
The requirements of the new MIPA are as follows:
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The CBI will be responsible for the issuance of all Alerts at the request of local law enforcement through its existing alerting system.
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The criteria includes the following:
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The missing person must have an active entry in CCIC/NCIC.
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The person must be Indigenous. (The CBI will accept whatever information can reasonably be provided.)
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There must be enough information available to believe that the issuance of an alert will aid in the recovery of the missing person.
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The request for an alert must come from law enforcement.
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The legislation also requires a law enforcement agency that receives a report of a missing Indigenous person to notify the CBI within eight hours of a report of a missing adult or within two hours of a report of a missing child.
Note: If the incident involves an abducted Indigenous child a statewide AMBER Alert will be issued if the alert criteria is met. Alerts activated by the CBI are only active in the state of Colorado. If information suggests the missing person is no longer in Colorado an alert will not be activated. However, the CBI can work to communicate with other states as necessary and as requested by local law enforcement in such cases.
Once a MIPA is activated, Colorado law enforcement will be notified electronically, while the media, stakeholders, and others may distribute the information via email and text to its current list of alert subscribers. To receive alert notifications please email: cdps_cbi_missing@state.co.us
In addition to notifying the media and asking them to distribute to their audiences, the CBI will coordinate with the Colorado Department of Transportation to display known vehicle information on the Variable Message Signs across the state, as available.
“The CBI understands the importance and effectiveness of the various alerts that are in place in Colorado, and we are pleased to have been asked to develop this newest alert in an effort to quickly locate missing indigenous persons and return them safely to their loved ones,” said CBI Director John Camper.
The new MIPA is part of the CBI alert system which also includes the following:
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Missing Persons with Developmental Disabilities Alert
Colorado joins the state of Washington in offering an alert for missing Indigenous persons for law enforcement to access.