Executive Summary
- The Alabama Fusion Center issued 90 missing person alerts in 2025, including 67 Missing and Endangered Person Alerts (MEPA).
- Alabama utilizes four specific alert types: AMBER, Emergency Missing Child (EMCA), MEPA, and Blue Alerts.
- Officials emphasize that there is no waiting period to report a missing person and urge immediate contact with law enforcement.
- Digital tools like CodeRED and Wireless Emergency Alerts are integrated to accelerate information dissemination.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In observance of National Missing Persons Day, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) has released detailed operational data regarding the state’s emergency alert infrastructure, highlighting the central role of the Alabama Fusion Center (AFC) in coordinating missing person investigations. According to agency officials, the AFC served as the primary coordination hub for 90 statewide alerts issued throughout 2025.
ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor emphasized the necessity of swift information sharing during critical incidents. In a statement, Secretary Taylor noted that the Fusion Center provides essential analytical support and inter-agency coordination, aiming to utilize all available resources to locate missing individuals safely.
State authorities utilize four distinct categories of alerts, each with specific activation criteria. These include the AMBER Alert for abducted children in immediate danger; the Emergency Missing Child Alert (EMCA) for missing children where abduction is not confirmed but danger exists; the Missing and Endangered Person Alert (MEPA) for individuals with mental or physical disabilities or adults in danger; and the Blue Alert for suspects involved in the injury or death of law enforcement officers.
According to data released by ALEA, the 90 alerts issued by the Fusion Center in 2025 included 67 MEPAs, 21 EMCAs, one AMBER Alert, and one Blue Alert. Additionally, the center posted 111 cases to the Community Information Center to generate leads for investigations that did not meet the strict criteria for broadcast alerts.
Jay Moseley, Director of the Alabama Fusion Center, addressed common misconceptions regarding the frequency of AMBER Alerts. Moseley stated that the absence of an AMBER Alert does not imply a lack of law enforcement activity, explaining that the alert is a specific tool for confirmed abductions, while other mechanisms are employed for different scenarios. Nationwide data cited by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicates that 1,292 children have been recovered as a direct result of AMBER Alerts since the program’s inception.
Law enforcement officials stressed that citizens should not wait to report a missing person, as there is no mandatory waiting period. ALEA urged the public to provide immediate notification to local authorities with detailed descriptions and photographs to expedite the recovery process.
Emergency Communication Strategy
The stratification of missing person alerts into four distinct categories reflects a strategic effort to target public attention effectively and mitigate alert fatigue. By reserving high-level notifications like AMBER Alerts for confirmed abductions, authorities aim to preserve the urgency and public responsiveness required for the most volatile situations. The integration of these protocols with digital distribution platforms, such as the CodeRED notification system and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), represents a critical evolution in public safety infrastructure, ensuring that time-sensitive data reaches communities rapidly to support law enforcement operations.
