PHOENIX — An Arizona bill to create a missing Indigenous or endangered person alert system passed the House with unanimous support and is now in the final stages of review by the Senate before heading to the governor.

HB2281 explicitly focuses on missing Native persons or non-Native endangered individuals and aims to address the growing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribal nations. It would facilitate an emergency advisory similar to Amber alerts and Silver alerts.

For Anthony Sanchez Jr., head councilman of the Pueblo of Zuni Tribal Council, the notification system represents an important step in combating the high rates of missing and murdered tribal persons that have plagued North America for hundreds of years. Pueblo of Zuni tribal lands sit on the border of Arizona and New Mexico.

“Now we’re finally being recognized as equals,” Sanchez said. “It shows power of the community coming back together. … They’re out there, not for themselves, but trying to get these individuals back home.”

Native communities have long faced obstacles to finding and protecting their populations. The lack of adequate resources, timely responses and jurisdictional challenges have left many families without support in finding their loved ones and feeling safe.

Arizona ranks third in the country for the highest number of Indigenous missing person cases, according to 2022 data from the National Institute of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

The Arizona bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Garcia, D-Tempe and a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, seeks to change that.

“(The bill) gets us that much closer to making sure that all of Arizona’s communities are protected and safe. What we’re asking with this bill is when someone goes missing, is endangered, we’re able to send out that alert and hopefully save their life,” Garcia said.

Garcia pointed to the case of Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache teen who went missing and whose mutilated remains were found near Globe last month. The state of Pike’s remains have led police to suspect foul play.

An Amber alert was not sent out for her because there was no indication she had been abducted or was in danger, the primary requirements for activating an Amber alert.

Pike’s death has resurfaced conversations about the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis across the country, and Native community members have been protesting and raising awareness for the cause in her name.

“The response from community members and the awareness around it highlights it in a very real and upsetting way. Indigenous peoples are just tired of having our own gone missing, becoming endangered and being murdered,” Garcia said.

Conditions would exist for notification qualification, similar to the Amber Alert and Silver Alert procedures. If triggered, authorities would be required to use all available local resources and determine that the person is in danger – either at risk to themselves or because they may be in the presence of a potentially dangerous person. Additionally, the individual must be over 18, and information that could assist in finding the person must be available. Tribal members under 18 are covered by the Amber Alert system.

The bill also represents non-Native people in potentially dangerous situations if the individual meets the qualification for the emergency alert.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) would oversee the notifications through the Emergency Alert System to ensure timely public distribution. DPS would also coordinate with similar systems in other states to expand the reach.

Arizona’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force played a part in the formation of the notice system. Gov. Katie Hobbs formed the task force in March 2023.

Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Tuba City, who is Navajo and chair of the task force, has seen research of other states’ advisory systems weaving into Arizona’s approach.

“Every law, especially in this sense, would have some conditions. We just need to see how it’ll be implemented,” Hatathlie said.

As an Arizona tribal member, Hatathlie has watched her tribal nation evolve as their crisis grows.

“When we have a missing person, an Indigenous missing person, it’s not elevated. Many times these entities brush it aside. They think it’s because of alcoholism or it’s because of some addiction,” Hatathlie said. “No matter what the situation is, loved ones report people missing and that needs to be elevated, it needs to be investigated.”

According to 2023 FBI data, 10,650 missing American Indian and Alaskan Native people were reported in the United States.

The Native alert system concept was first introduced in Washington in 2022, paving the way for other states, including California, Colorado and soon New Mexico, to implement similar measures.

With 29 federally recognized tribal nations, Washington is one of the leading contributors to missing Native person cases nationwide, per NamUs data.

Chris Loftis, director of communications for the Washington State Patrol, said the state’s system has sent 148 notifications since its launch, and only 22 people remain missing.

Notifications have led to locating people who had been kidnapped, run away or killed. Native people, who make up 6% of Washington’s population, are three times more likely to go missing.

“Even if the alert doesn’t directly lead to resolution, it helps us get the broader story out that Indigenous communities are uniquely vulnerable to crimes against a person. They’re uniquely vulnerable to being victims of violent crimes and being victims of sexual crimes or sexual trafficking,” Loftis said.

He said these notifications serve as a tool for recovery and a deterrent.

“We have one case where the person who had taken someone heard the alert on the radio and had let their victim go because he knew that he was being looked for. It only has to happen once before it makes it all worthwhile,” Loftis said.

The main differences between Arizona’s proposed system and Washington’s are the qualifying conditions and broadcasting method.

In Washington, any missing Indigenous person automatically triggers a notification, while Arizona’s system would have specific criteria. Because Washington’s system has no restrictions, it isn’t sent as a loud emergency notification to cellphones, like Amber or Silver alerts. Arizona’s would use the cellphone broadcasting system.

Washington’s advisories are shared through email subscriptions and social media, which lowers the visibility but doesn’t potentially desensitize the public with mass alerts, said Carrie Gordon, program manager and missing person alert coordinator at the Washington State Patrol.

Emergency broadcasts are only used if a recovery is imminent. Arizona’s system also has an age requirement, making support more limited.

Gordon explained how these differences affect the notification’s impact.

“All we’re doing is posting a poster to social media and sending it out to people who’ve subscribed to receive it. That is a very limited audience compared to an Amber Alert. … But we’re not able to use the other tools that we would like to be able to use, because there is no other criteria.”

Carolyn DeFord, anti-trafficking program manager of the domestic violence program for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians in Washington, knows how crucial the implementation of these systems can be for vulnerable communities.

DeFord, whose mother went missing in 1999, understands the uncertainty that comes with a missing loved one. Her personal experiences, along with the tragic loss of her cousin to domestic violence, led to her advocacy.

She now serves as a co-chair on the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force, where she works with families to address the unique challenges they face.

“I didn’t even realize it was advocacy. It was just empathy,” DeFord said. “Once that alert is issued, it’s a reminder. It’s reassurance that we’re doing everything we can, that we’re getting that message out to as many people as fast as possible.”

DeFord worries that frequent signals could lead to desensitization in Arizona. While she acknowledges that visibility is crucial in addressing the disparity, she fears the alerts might become another reason for the general public to tune out Indigenous issues.

“Visibility is important … but I don’t want to desensitize people,” DeFord said. “Our obligation is to ensure, or do what we can to make sure, that our people are not experiencing hurt and harm.”

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

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Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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