ALEA to Observe National Missing Children’s Day on May 25th
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is proud to announce – its observance of National Missing Children’s Day on Saturday, May 25th.
On this significant day, ALEA’s Fusion Center (AFC) will join the City of Montgomery and other local organizations for a Family Fun Day aimed at raising awareness and also fostering community involvement in the vital mission of finding Alabama’s missing persons.
Taking place at the Union Station Train Shed in downtown Montgomery from 1:00 – 3:00pm the Family Fun Day will feature a variety of engaging activities designed to educate families about child safety – and resources available for locating missing children, as well as missing adults.
Attendees will have an opportunity to connect with ALEA’s Fusion Center and various local vendors committed to child safety and also to locating Alabama’s missing. The free event is the brainchild of the Riley Relief Foundation which was founded after Ms. Pam Riley Boldin’s daughter – Laquanta Riley – went missing in 2004.
ALEA’s Secretary, Hal Taylor, emphasized the importance of community participation in this initiative, stating, “National Missing Children’s Day is a poignant reminder of the ongoing,efforts to reunite missing children, as well as missing adults with their families. By engaging the community through events like Montgomery’s Family Fun Day, we not only raise awareness but also strengthen the network of support needed to bring loved ones home.”
AFC Director Jay Moseley agreed, saying, “We are honored to join the City of Montgomery to share 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 critical step in that ongoing commitment.”
The Alabama Fusion Center, a unit within ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), is responsible for issuing AMBER Alerts, Emergency Missing Child Alerts, Blue Alerts and Missing and Endangered Person Alerts throughout the state.
The Alabama Center for Missing & Exploited Children is organizationally structured within the AFC and serves as a liaison between citizens, private organizations, and law enforcement officials regarding missing and exploited children and adults.
On May 25th, 2021, ALEA launched a new state-of-the-art system known as CodeRED to issue missing person alerts which can quickly deliver essential information to citizens throughout the state of Alabama.
Citizens can enroll in the CodeRED system by texting “ALalerts” to 99411 from any mobile device. Citizens will receive an immediate response containing the Community Notification Enrollment (CNE) link for the state.
Director Moseley added, “We are extremely grateful for all of our partners who assist in sharing Alabama’s missing person alerts such as the Alabama Broadcaster’s Association and also to the citizens who remain vigilant and report tips or information to law enforcement. The public’s assistance is crucial in missing person cases when time is of the essence.”
In January 2024, an AMBER Alert was issued for two children who were inside a vehicle that was stolen in south Alabama. Shortly after they went missing, ALEA issued the AMBER Alert on behalf of the local police department, along with an Emergency Alert System (EAS) and a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) activation. After the alert was issued, a good Samaritan recognized the vehicle description and contacted the police to report they had seen the vehicle abandoned on the side of the road. The police investigated the tip and located the children, who thankfully were unharmed.
“Each year on Missing Children’s Day, we aim to highlight the Fusion Center’s hard work and CodeRED, which is a valuable resource for all communities across the state. We encourage all citizens to consider enrolling in CodeRED if you have not already done so to help and make sure every missing person case turns into a success story” said Secretary Taylor.
Learn more about CodeRED and the Alabama Fusion center at alea.gov