Minnesota to test alert system for attacks on police officers
Minnesota is testing a new emergency alert system that will tell the public when a police officer has been killed or wounded and a suspect is on the loose.
The so-called Blue Alert was established by the Legislature in 2015.
Drew Evans is head of the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the agency that handles emergency alert activation. He said Blue Alert information will include details of an incident involving a law enforcement officer, possibly photos and suspect and vehicle descriptions.
“You'll see media partners, social media, a lot of the same alerts that you would see if we had a missing or abducted child in the state of Minnesota,” Evans said.
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Evans adds that these scenarios call for a wide-range of help from the public.
“Obviously, if someone is willing to go to the lengths of doing that to one of our peace officers, we know they're a dangerous individual that we want to apprehend so they can't cause additional harm," he said.
The state will conduct its first full test of the system Thursday afternoon.
The test will not include alerts on cell phones or highway signs, which may be implemented in future alerts.