Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to Observe National Missing Children's Day on May 25 – WEIS

ALEA celebrates National Missing Children's Day on May 25

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is proud to announce the observance of National Missing Children's Day on Saturday, May 25.

On this important day, ALEA's Fusion Center (AFC) will join the City of Montgomery and other local organizations for a day of family fun aimed at raising awareness and fostering community involvement in the vital mission to find missing people in Alabama.

Taking place at the Union Station train shed in downtown Montgomery from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the family fun day will include a variety of engaging activities designed to educate families about child safety – and the resources available to locate missing children, as well as missing people. adults.

Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with ALEA's Fusion Center and various local vendors committed to child safety and also locating the missing in Alabama. This free event is the result of the creation of the Riley Relief Foundation, founded after the disappearance of Ms. Pam Riley Boldin's daughter – Laquanta Riley – in 2004.

ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor emphasized the importance of community participation in this initiative, saying, “National Missing Children's Day is a poignant reminder of the ongoing efforts to reunite missing children, as well as adults disappeared with their families. By engaging the community through events like Montgomery's Family Fun Day, we not only raise awareness, but we also strengthen the support network needed to bring loved ones home.

AFC Director Jay Moseley agreed and said, “We are honored to join the City of Montgomery in sharing more about the Fusion Center’s mission and its resources. Our collective efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our children are paramount, and this event represents a crucial step in that ongoing commitment.

The Alabama Fusion Center, a unit of ALEA's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), is responsible for issuing AMBER Alerts, Missing Child Emergency Alerts, Blue Alerts, and Missing Child Emergency Alerts. missing and endangered people across the state.

The Alabama Center for Missing and Exploited Children is organizationally structured within the AFC and serves as a liaison between citizens, private organizations, and law enforcement regarding missing and exploited children and adults.

On May 25, 2021, ALEA launched a new state-of-the-art system known as CodeRED to issue missing persons alerts, capable of quickly providing critical information to citizens across the state of Alabama.

Citizens can register for the CodeRED system by texting “ALalerts” to 99411 from any mobile device. Citizens will receive an immediate response containing the Community Notification (CNE) registration link for the state.

Director Moseley added, “We are extremely grateful to all of our partners who help us share missing persons alerts in Alabama, such as the Alabama Broadcaster's Association, as well as to citizens who remain vigilant and report tips or information to law enforcement. The public's help is crucial in cases of missing persons when time is of the essence.”

In January 2024, an AMBER Alert was issued for two children who were in a stolen vehicle in south Alabama. Shortly after their disappearance, ALEA issued the AMBER Alert on behalf of the local police department, along with an Emergency Alert System (EAS) and wireless emergency alert activation ( WEA). After the alert, a good Samaritan recognized the description of the vehicle and contacted police to report that he had seen the vehicle abandoned on the side of the road. Police investigated the report and found the children who, fortunately, were unharmed.

“Every year on Missing Children’s Day, we aim to recognize the hard work of the Fusion Center and CodeRED, which serves as a valuable resource for all communities across the state. We encourage all citizens to consider signing up for CodeRED if they have not already done so to help and ensure that every missing person case turns into a success story,” said Secretary Taylor.

Learn more about CodeRED and the Alabama Fusion Center at alea.gov