North Dakota agencies coordinate alerts for missing and endangered people

Law enforcement may ask the Bureau of Criminal Investigation or highway patrol to activate an alert. The alerts cover abducted children, certain suspects who threaten or harm officers, abducted adults in grave danger, Indigenous people abducted or at imminent risk of serious injury or death, and certain missing disabled or older adults. Officials may activate an alert only when its specific requirements are met. For missing and endangered people or feather alerts that do not meet the requirements, the Department of Emergency Services follows its plan for choosing other public notification channels.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation, working with the highway patrol and other agencies, prepares a plan for handling alert requests and uses one or more ways to share alerts. The Indian Affairs Commission serves as the main link among tribal, state, and federal agencies when a missing person is Indigenous, and helps with public education, outreach, and advocacy. The plan must explain the state radio division's role in broadcasting alerts, including in Indigenous languages when available. Alerts may be shared through emergency broadcasts, travel information systems, road signs, local alert systems, websites, or social media.

The tribal and state relations committee reviews the feather alert and sends a report with findings, recommendations, and any needed legislation to legislative management. The six-member task force includes the Indian Affairs Commission's executive director or designee and the chair or designee of each of five named tribal governments. The committee studies tribal and state issues in joint meetings with the tribal governments' task force before preparing its report. The committee prepares its report after its joint meetings with the task force have concluded.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and highway patrol report on alert effectiveness and share findings at a public meeting with tribal leaders. The report concerns missing Indigenous people; the public meeting includes tribal leaders. The report to the Indian Affairs Commission covers feather alerts and missing and endangered persons alerts in cases involving missing Indigenous people. The public meeting is held with a representative of each federally recognized tribe in North Dakota. The agencies issue the report and hold the public meeting annually.