California Ebony Alert Law: Criteria, Activation, and Public Notice

The California Ebony Alert law, codified at Government Code Section 8594.14, created a statewide notification system for missing Black youth and young women between the ages of 12 and 25. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 673 on October 8, 2023, and the law took effect on January 1, 2024, making California the first state to adopt an alert specifically for this population.¹

Who Qualifies for an Ebony Alert

The California Highway Patrol describes the alert as a resource for investigating the suspicious or unexplained disappearance of “a black woman or black person” between 12 and 25 years old.² The statute refers to “Black youth, including young women and girls,” and covers people reported missing under any of the following circumstances:¹

An unexplained or suspicious disappearance where physical safety may be at risk, including potential trafficking.
A mental or physical disability that makes the missing person especially vulnerable.
Circumstances suggesting the person is in peril due to age, health, weather, or being with a potentially dangerous individual.
Abduction, meaning the person has been taken against their will.

The age band is deliberate. AMBER Alerts cover children 17 and under; Silver Alerts cover adults 65 and older. Young adults between those cutoffs previously had no dedicated alert system, and the Ebony Alert fills that gap for Black individuals aged 12 to 25.

How an Ebony Alert Gets Activated

Activation runs through the California Highway Patrol, not through individual police departments. The sequence is:

The local law enforcement agency handling the missing person report investigates using all available local resources.
If the agency determines the case meets the criteria and that an alert would be an effective investigative tool, it contacts the CHP and requests activation.
The CHP independently reviews whether the criteria are met. If it agrees, it activates the alert within the geographic area the local agency requests.

One detail matters throughout the statute: it uses “may,” not “shall.” Local agencies are authorized to request an Ebony Alert, and the CHP is authorized to activate one, but neither is required to do so in any given case.¹ The law does direct that its criteria “shall be broadly construed” to carry out the legislature’s intent, which pushes agencies toward activation rather than looking for reasons to deny.²

How the Alert Reaches the Public

Once activated, the CHP can issue a be-on-the-lookout bulletin to other law enforcement agencies, distribute an electronic flyer, or post information on changeable highway message signs. The highway signs carry a restriction: the CHP can use them only when a vehicle is believed to be involved and specific identifying vehicle details are available for public release.¹

Media participation is voluntary. Radio stations, television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite providers, and social media platforms are “encouraged to, but not required to, cooperate” with disseminating the alert.¹ That’s a real distinction from the AMBER Alert, which uses the federally regulated Emergency Alert System to push notifications through broadcast infrastructure. The Ebony Alert’s reach depends on whether outlets choose to participate.

How It Differs From AMBER and Silver Alerts

The AMBER Alert requires a confirmed abduction of a child 17 or younger, or a person with a proven mental or physical disability, plus reason to believe the victim faces imminent danger of serious injury or death and identifying information the public can act on.³ It uses the Emergency Alert System, which is why its criteria are strict.

California’s Silver Alert targets missing persons 65 or older, or individuals who are developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired. It does not require evidence of abduction, but it does require meeting the age or disability threshold.

A 19-year-old Black woman who disappears under suspicious circumstances would be too old for an AMBER Alert and too young for a Silver Alert, but could qualify for an Ebony Alert. The tradeoff is the lack of mandatory broadcast infrastructure, which makes voluntary media and community amplification more important.

What to Do If Someone Goes Missing

Report the disappearance to local law enforcement immediately. California does not impose a waiting period before filing a missing person report. Be ready to provide a physical description, the circumstances of the disappearance, and details about any vehicle that may be involved, including make, model, color, and license plate if available.²

Families cannot activate the Ebony Alert directly. Only the investigating law enforcement agency can request activation through the CHP. You can, however, tell the investigating officer that you believe an Ebony Alert is appropriate and explain how the circumstances fit the criteria. If you have information about an active case involving a missing person, call 911.

Limitations Worth Knowing

The law does not require law enforcement to activate an alert in any specific case. An agency could investigate a disappearance that meets every criterion and still decline to request activation if it decides an alert would not be an effective investigative tool. The statute does not create an appeals process for families who disagree with that judgment.

Voluntary media participation is the other constraint. Whether an Ebony Alert reaches enough people to matter can vary from case to case, and community organizations and social media often play a central role in amplifying alerts that traditional outlets may not prioritize.

The law also does not appropriate new funding for investigations or add staffing for the CHP’s alert coordination. It gives law enforcement a tool. How much that tool accomplishes depends on how aggressively agencies use it and how broadly the public engages with the alerts it produces.

1
California Legislative Information. California Government Code 8594.14
2
California Highway Patrol. Ebony Alert
3
California Highway Patrol. AMBER Alert Plan