Local Citizens and Alabama Partners Assist Law Enforcement in Missing Person Search 

 

By Sheila Duncan 

Reporter 

 

On Saturday, June 22nd, following criteria an Emergency Missing Child Alert was issued for missing 5-year-old child and a 20-year-old in the Brierfield community.  Law Enforcement, EMS, ALEA, Fire Department, citizens and search and rescue crews pulled together in the search. Both were found unharmed around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning and reunited with their family.  

Many comments on news websites asked why an Amber Alert wasn’t issued on Saturday for the missing 5-year-old. Amber Alerts are specifically triggered when a child is abducted. In this case, while the child was missing, there was no abduction, so an emergency missing child alert was activated instead. Alabama utilizes a notification system called CodeRED for issuing alerts, distinct from Amber Alerts. These alerts, including certain emergency missing child alerts, are distributed through the Emergency Alert System. 

To increase community awareness, for those who haven’t signed up for CodeRED you should. You can register at alea.gov or text “ALalerts” to 99411. State and local governments are always working to enhance community alert systems. 

Jay Moseley, AFC Director, emphasized in 2022 the introduction of CodeRED by ALEA, a swift notification system for informing citizens about missing persons and emergencies. He expressed gratitude to citizens and local partners for their continued support in spreading missing person alerts and staying vigilant.