BLUE Alert: what it means and what you are being asked to do

It is a public alert system to search for and capture suspects of threatening, seriously injuring or killing a police officer, municipal officer or NIE agent in the line of duty, and to search for and recover those officers when they go missing in connection with their duties. It works like the AMBER, Silver, Mayra Elías, ROSA and Ashanti plans that already exist in Puerto Rico.

The alert protects three groups the law defines: the police officer, a Puerto Rico Police public servant duly trained and sworn for law enforcement duties; the municipal police officer, whose duty is set out in Article 3.022 of Chapter IV of the Municipal Code; and the NIE agent, a public servant attached to the Special Investigations Bureau empowered to investigate, charge, arrest, serve court orders, possess and carry firearms and swear in potential witnesses, under Article 6.03 of Act 20-2017. The alert is received by the general public.

• That it involve a police officer, municipal police officer or NIE agent, as this law defines them.Verified against the official source
• That the Puerto Rico Police confirm the situation and determine that activating the protocol is warranted. The law says expressly that the Police shall determine whether to activate it.Verified against the official source
• That there be enough descriptive information about the suspect, including any vehicle information and its plate. This criterion appears in all three activation situations.Verified against the official source

• None: this is not an application a citizen files. Activation is decided by the Puerto Rico Police, and what the public is asked for is information about the case.

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   Step 1: Recognise the two phrases you will hear

   The law sets the wording. When it is a search for a suspect, after a distinctive sound, the alert must read: "This is a BLUE Alert for a person suspected of injuring/killing a police officer, municipal police officer, NIE agent". When it is a missing officer, after the distinctive sound, it must read: "This is a BLUE Alert for a missing or kidnapped police officer/municipal police officer, NIE agent", depending on the context.

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   Step 2: Know what information you will be given

   Alerts will include a description of the suspect and/or of the missing or kidnapped person, and the address of where they were last seen. They will also give the public specific information on how to contact the authorities to provide information towards clearing up the case. After it is issued, it is the Police's duty to supplement and update the information available to the media and participating entities.

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   Step 3: Understand when each form activates

   There are three. For death or serious injury: the Police confirm the officer has been killed, seriously injured, or attacked with intent to kill or seriously injure. For a threat: the Police confirm the threat is imminent and credible, at the time of the threat any suspect is being sought by a law enforcement agency, and there is a suspect who has not been captured. For a disappearance: the Police conclude the officer is missing in connection with their official duties, there is an indication they may have been seriously injured or killed, and there is a suspect who has not been captured. In disappearance cases the Police also assess whether the circumstances indicate the person is in danger of death or serious bodily harm, and whether activating the alert could put them at greater risk.

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   Step 4: If you have information, report it through the channel the alert gives

   The law requires the alert itself to include specific information on how to contact the authorities. That is the channel. Alerts must be broadcast as soon as possible and repeated frequently, following Emergency Alert System (EAS) guidelines, and DTOP makes the electronic signs on public roads available once the Police activate the alert.

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   Step 5: Do not trigger it falsely

   Article 8 provides that anyone who, through a complaint or request, falsely states or alleges knowing it to be false that one of the crimes named in the law has been committed, and thereby causes the alert and the State's resources to be activated, commits a misdemeanour punishable by a fixed fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000).

It is not applied for: the Puerto Rico Police is the primary agency responsible for operating the Plan and decides whether to activate it. If you have information about a case with an active BLUE Alert, the alert itself says how to contact the authorities.

• Confusing it with the AMBER Alert: BLUE is for police officers, municipal officers and NIE agents, not for missing children.
• Believing anyone can activate it: the Puerto Rico Police is the one that decides whether activating the protocol is warranted.
• Deliberately reporting false information: it is a misdemeanour with a fixed $1,000 fine.
• Assuming every outlet must broadcast it: media and entities take part voluntarily in the collaborative effort.
• Thinking the alert lasts until the case is solved: regardless of the case being cleared, the alert may end at any time the Police request it.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Policía de Puerto Rico

  Policía de PR

  bvirtualogp.pr.gov