McCain Introduces Bill To Expand Amber Alert On Reservations
U.S. Sen. John McCain introduced legislation that would expand the Amber Alert system on reservations. The Amber Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017 was crafted after a little girl was abducted and murdered last year.
It took authorities several hours to issue an Amber Alert for 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike after she was kidnapped by Tom Begay Jr. There was sharp criticism over how long it took to issue the alert.
Currently, the Department of Justice operates a pilot program that offers Amber Alert training services to Native American tribes. McCain’s bill would make that initiative permanent.
The bill would also re-authorize the DOJ grant program that helps state and local governments develop and implement Amber Alert communication plans. And it would also require the DOJ to perform a needs-assessment of Amber Alert capabilities on reservations.