MO Joins 27 Other States With 'Blue Alert' System
Missouri soon will have a system to notify the general public when a law enforcement officer is killed or injured.
Missouri soon will have a system to notify the general public when a law enforcement officer is killed or injured, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Patterned after the Amber Alert system for missing children, the so-called “Blue Alert” law was approved Thursday by Gov. Eric Greitens, who had championed the idea.
The measure was part of a package of crime-related changes to state law approved by members of the House and Senate in May.
The Blue Alert provisions are designed to promote public safety and protect police officers. When the law goes into effect, Missouri will be the 28th state to adopt such a program, according to U.S. Department of Justice figures.
The measure also enhances the penalties for assaults on law enforcement officers.
"We must stand up for those who stand guard for us," Greitens said in a release.
The changes come partially in response to the unrest in Ferguson following the police shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in 2014.
The legislation is Senate Bill 34.
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