The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is highlighting how its Alabama Fusion Center supports missing-person investigations and coordinates statewide alert systems to help locate missing and endangered individuals.

According to ALEA, the Fusion Center serves as a central hub for information sharing, analytical support, and interagency coordination when children, vulnerable adults, or law enforcement officers are reported missing or endangered.

“The Fusion Center serves as a vital hub for information sharing, coordination and analytical support when someone goes missing,” said ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor. “Every alert we issue, every flyer we create, and every case we support represents a person who matters to a family and a community. Our mission is simple, to use every resource available to help bring them home safely.”

ALEA said Alabama uses four types of missing person alerts: AMBER Alerts, Emergency Missing Child Alerts (EMCA), Missing and Endangered Person Alerts (MEPA), and Blue Alerts. Each alert type has specific activation criteria and can only be requested by a law enforcement agency. There is no required waiting period before reporting a missing person.

An AMBER Alert is issued when a child under age 18 has been abducted and is believed to be in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death. An Emergency Missing Child Alert applies when a child is missing and endangered but not believed to have been abducted.

A Missing and Endangered Person Alert is used for individuals who are missing and have qualifying mental or physical conditions — including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or autism — or who have been abducted and are believed to be in danger. A Blue Alert is issued when a law enforcement officer is missing, injured, or killed in the line of duty and a suspect poses a serious threat to the public.

Alerts are published on ALEA’s website and distributed through the CodeRED high-speed community notification system. AMBER Alerts and Blue Alerts are also delivered automatically to mobile devices through Wireless Emergency Alerts and broadcast through radio and television using the Emergency Alert System.

Officials noted that when a case does not meet formal alert criteria, the Fusion Center still provides analytical support and promotes awareness by posting cases through its Community Information Center to assist local agencies and generate leads.

“There is a common misconception that if an AMBER Alert is not issued, a missing child is not being actively searched for,” said Jay Moseley, Director of the Alabama Fusion Center. “An AMBER Alert is just one of many tools available. Behind every case, whether it is a missing child or adult, is a dedicated team at the Fusion Center working around the clock, analyzing information, coordinating with agencies and supporting investigators in the field. Regardless of the alert type, our commitment remains the same: to use every available resource to help locate missing individuals and support a safe recovery.”

According to ALEA, the Fusion Center issued 90 missing person alerts in 2025 and posted an additional 111 cases for community awareness statewide.

Those alerts included one AMBER Alert, one Blue Alert, 67 Missing and Endangered Person Alerts, and 21 Emergency Missing Child Alerts. ALEA said the totals reflect cases where local law enforcement requested state assistance and underscore the rarity of AMBER Alerts.

National figures cited by ALEA show that as of December 2025, 1,292 children have been safely recovered as a direct result of AMBER Alerts, including at least 241 recoveries linked to Wireless Emergency Alerts.

In 2024, more than 349,000 reports of missing youth were entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database.

ALEA encourages residents to report missing persons immediately and to take advantage of available recovery resources such as Project Lifesaver, which helps locate at-risk individuals who may wander due to medical conditions using specialized radio technology and aviation support.

Residents can sign up to receive community alerts and missing person notifications through ALEA’s alert system website or by texting ALALERTS to 24639 to receive notices directly on their mobile device.