LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Detroit residents now have a new way to help bring missing children and vulnerable adults home: a citywide “Emerald Alert.”
Unveiled August 18 by Police Chief Todd Bettison and City Council President Mary Sheffield, the program pushes urgent missing-person notices straight to residents’ phones, texts, or emails through the CodeRed emergency system.
“This is a new way to let the community know about serious missing person cases,” Bettison said, The Detroit News reported. “We’re utilizing the eyes and ears of our community to help locate them very quickly.”
Unlike Amber Alerts, which are limited to child abduction cases, Emerald Alerts will apply in cases where children, seniors, or people with special needs disappear under suspicious circumstances.
The alerts can be issued almost immediately after police gather information from families, Assistant Police Chief Franklin Hayes noted—faster than the department’s current posting process.
Officials said the program comes at no added cost to taxpayers and urged residents to sign up through the city’s “Detroit Alerts 365” portal.
“If just one person sees the alert, it can give us the tip we need,” Bettison said.