A Turquoise Alert is a state-level emergency notification that pushes information about a missing Indigenous person to the public through highway signs, broadcast media, wireless phones, and social media when law enforcement believes the person is in danger. Arizona and New Mexico both enacted Turquoise Alert laws in 2025. The system fills a gap left by AMBER Alerts, which cover abducted children, and Silver Alerts, which cover older adults, neither of which fits most cases involving missing Indigenous adults.
Where Turquoise Alerts Exist
As of 2025, two states use the name “Turquoise Alert.”
Arizona’s version, formally called Emily’s Law, was signed on May 13, 2025, and launched that July. The Arizona Department of Public Safety manages activation and distribution.1Office of the Arizona Governor. Governor Katie Hobbs Announces Launch of Arizona Turquoise Alert New Mexico signed its own Turquoise Alert into law on April 7, 2025, through Senate Bill 41.2New Mexico Legislature. New Mexico State Legislature SB0041
Other states run similar programs under different names. Washington State launched the first statewide alert for missing Indigenous people in 2022 through its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s and People’s Alert System. California followed in 2023 with the Feather Alert, which covers the suspicious disappearance of any Indigenous person and lets tribes request activation directly from the California Highway Patrol if local law enforcement does not act within 24 hours.3California Highway Patrol. Feather Alert The mechanics differ, but the goal is the same: get information about a missing Indigenous person in front of as many eyes as possible, fast.
Who Qualifies for a Turquoise Alert
Eligibility turns on two things: Indigenous identity and evidence of danger. The specifics differ between Arizona and New Mexico.
Under Arizona’s law, the missing person must be a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe and under 65 years old. Law enforcement must determine the disappearance happened under unexplained or suspicious circumstances and believe the person is in danger, is with a potentially dangerous individual, or faces some other threat to their safety.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 41-1728.01 – Turquoise Alert System; Requirements; Definitions The investigating agency must have exhausted available local resources before requesting the alert, and there must be information worth sharing publicly that could help locate the person.
New Mexico’s law is broader. It covers anyone enrolled in, or eligible for enrollment in, a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe, or pueblo. New Mexico’s “endangered person” definition also reaches people who may be victims of domestic violence, those protected by an order of protection, and individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injuries, or cognitive conditions whose safety is at risk.2New Mexico Legislature. New Mexico State Legislature SB0041
One point worth clarifying: Turquoise Alerts are identity-based, not age-based. Arizona caps eligibility at under 65 because Silver Alerts cover older adults there, but a missing Indigenous teenager could trigger both an AMBER Alert and a Turquoise Alert depending on the circumstances.
How a Turquoise Alert Gets Activated
Families cannot request a Turquoise Alert directly. The process starts when someone files a missing person report with a local, tribal, or federal law enforcement agency. There is no legally required waiting period to file. The widespread belief that you have to wait 24 or 48 hours before reporting someone missing is a myth.
Once a report is filed, the investigating agency works through a checklist of local resources before requesting an alert. In Arizona, that includes entering the person into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), issuing Be On the Lookout (BOLO) notices and flyers, checking alternate residences, hospitals (including VA facilities), and jails, using cell phone carrier location systems and in-vehicle tracking, and contacting family, friends, and social workers. The agency then submits the request to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which verifies that all five statutory criteria are met before activating.5Arizona Department of Public Safety. Turquoise Alert
For families, the practical takeaway is to file the report immediately, press the investigating officers to work the checklist quickly, and ask explicitly whether the case qualifies for a Turquoise Alert. The first hours matter most.
What a Turquoise Alert Contains
An activated alert carries a profile designed to let an ordinary person recognize the missing individual on sight. That profile typically includes physical descriptors like height, weight, hair color, and eye color, along with the clothing the person was last seen wearing and any identifying marks like tattoos or scars. It also lists the most recent known location to focus attention geographically.5Arizona Department of Public Safety. Turquoise Alert
If law enforcement believes the person is traveling in a vehicle, the alert adds the vehicle’s make, model, year, color, and license plate. On highway signs, the vehicle description and plate get priority because that’s the most actionable information for a driver passing by at speed.
How the Alert Reaches the Public
Turquoise Alerts use multiple channels at once.
The backbone is the federal Emergency Alert System (EAS). The FCC adopted a Missing and Endangered Person (MEP) event code specifically for situations where someone is missing and endangered but doesn’t qualify for an AMBER Alert, and FEMA has authorized the Arizona Department of Public Safety to use EAS coding that can interrupt normal broadcast programming on radio and television.6Federal Communications Commission. Briefing Sheet Missing and Endangered Person (MEP) Turquoise Alerts are also authorized for distribution through the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, which pushes notifications directly to cell phones in the region.1Office of the Arizona Governor. Governor Katie Hobbs Announces Launch of Arizona Turquoise Alert
State police also distribute bulletins to local news outlets and radio stations, electronic highway message signs display vehicle descriptions and plate numbers when a vehicle is involved, and agencies post bulletins to social media that community members can share. Alerts stay active until the person is located or law enforcement determines the threat has passed.5Arizona Department of Public Safety. Turquoise Alert
What to Do When You See One
If a Turquoise Alert reaches your phone, a highway sign, or your social media feed, take a few seconds to absorb the details. Look at the photo, the physical description, and any vehicle information. If you see someone matching the description or spot the vehicle, call 911 immediately. Do not approach or try to intervene, especially if the alert indicates the person may be with someone dangerous.
Sharing the alert on social media helps. These notifications spread fastest when community members push them beyond the geographic range of the original broadcast. Share quickly and without editorializing. The alert contains the facts people need, and a single share that reaches the right person in the right place can change the outcome.
Why the System Exists
Indigenous communities experience disproportionately high rates of disappearances. In 2023 alone, more than 10,600 American Indian and Alaska Native individuals were reported missing nationwide.6Federal Communications Commission. Briefing Sheet Missing and Endangered Person (MEP) Research from the National Institute of Justice has found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, and rates of violence on reservations can run up to ten times higher than national averages.7Bureau of Indian Affairs. Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Crisis
Jurisdictional complexity compounds the problem. When someone goes missing on or near tribal land, the case can involve tribal police, county sheriffs, state troopers, and the FBI, with overlapping or unclear authority. Turquoise Alerts cut through that tangle by creating a single activation pathway any of those agencies can use to push information directly to the public.