U.S. Sen. John McCain introduced legislation that would expand the Amber Alert system on reservations. The Amber Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017 was crafted after a little girl was abducted and murdered last year.
It took authorities several hours to issue an Amber Alert for 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike after she was kidnapped by Tom Begay Jr. There was sharp criticism over how long it took to issue the alert.
Currently, the Department of Justice operates a pilot program that offers Amber Alert training services to Native American tribes. McCain’s bill would make that initiative permanent.
The bill would also re-authorize the DOJ grant program that helps state and local governments develop and implement Amber Alert communication plans. And it would also require the DOJ to perform a needs-assessment of Amber Alert capabilities on reservations.
