Wisconsin expands their Missing Child Alert system

By WDIO
(Pexels)

On Thursday, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced the launch of the states new Missing Child Alert. The program will broaden options for alerting the public to missing children.

According to a release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ,) the 2023 Wisconsin Act 272 expands Wisconsin’s alerts to include the new Missing Child Alert. Governor Tim Evers signed it into law on April 10.

“The Missing Child Alert will provide an additional way to help locate missing children and get them home safely,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to everyone who worked to launch this new alert.” Senator LaTonya Johnson said in the release. “I am proud of the implementation of the new Missing Child Alert system, which will help ensure all children are brought home safely. No family should have to endure the uncertainty and fear that Prince McCree’s or Lily Peters’ families faced, wondering if every available resource is being used to find their child. I am grateful to the Wisconsin Department of Justice for making this new system a reality and for their commitment to protecting our most vulnerable.”

Act 272, the Prince Act, named after 5-year-old Prince McCree who went missing in Milwaukee and 10-year-old Lily Peters who went missing in Chippewa Falls. The new alert expands the criteria for issuing alerts for missing persons. According to the release, the legislation revised § 175.51 and expanded the definition of a “person at risk” to include children.

The Missing Child Alert will be sent through the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network and a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) to mobile devices up to a 5 miles radius from the last know location, between the hours of 8am-9pm. The alert will also be disseminated on Wisconsin Lottery terminals throughout Wisconsin and on Department of Transportation’s Dynamic Messaging Boards.

What is the Missing Child Alert Criteria:

The person at risk has not attained the age of 18 years, AND, the person is believed to be incapable of returning home without assistance due to a physical or mental condition or disability., OR, the person has not attained the age of 10 years, AND,

  • The individual(s) location is unknown, and,
  • It is within 72 hours of the individual’s disappearance, and,
  • Their situation does not qualify for another alert (e.g., Amber Alert).
  • The individual has been entered as missing into National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
  • There is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the missing person.

If a child is missing:

  • Contact local law enforcement to report the child missing.
  • Law enforcement will work with Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and other law enforcement partners to assess the next steps for finding the missing child.
  • DCI is the only entity that can issue a Missing Child Alert.

Sign up for the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network and receive Missing Child, AMBER, Silver, Green and Missing Endangered Person Alerts. Please visit this site to sign up for the free Wisconsin alerting system at https://wisconsincrimealert.widoj.gov/.