The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), which oversees the review and distribution of all statewide alerts for missing persons, says the new Turquoise Alert system in Arizona is functioning as designed.

What Is the Turquoise Alert?

Established under House Bill 2281, the Turquoise Alert launched in July to fill gaps in existing alert systems and reach individuals who go missing but do not qualify for a typical Amber or Silver Alert.
Although nearly 300 people were reported missing in Arizona during the period following its launch, the alert has been activated only once.

Why the Alert Was Created

Lawmakers pushed for this alert earlier in the year to cover cases that fall through the cracks of existing programs. They often cited the disappearance of 14-year-old Emily Pike as an example of the kind of situation the Turquoise Alert was meant to address — the law was even renamed in her honour.
But the fact that the system has seen nearly no use despite hundreds of missing-person cases has raised doubts about how effective it really is.

DPS Explains the Limited Use

DPS maintains that the low number of activations is planned, not a sign of neglect. The agency emphasises that the limited use aligns with the statute’s strict criteria.

DPS acts only as a reviewing and distribution body: it does not initiate or investigate missing-person cases itself. Instead, it processes formal requests from local or county law-enforcement agencies. The alert is issued only if a request meets every statutory requirement. Several activation requests have been submitted, but only one was approved so far because none of the others satisfied all criteria.

DPS says rigorous review is necessary to protect the credibility of the system, noting that issuing alerts when criteria aren’t met could “dilute public responsiveness and reduce overall system effectiveness.”

The Five Required Criteria

According to DPS, a Turquoise Alert may only be issued when all of these five conditions are met:

1. A missing-person report is filed in law-enforcement databases.
2. The missing individual is under the age of 65.
3. Local resources have already been exhausted.
4. The disappearance presents unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
5. There is sufficient descriptive information to assist with locating the person.
   Additionally:

• “Unexplained” typically means the disappearance lacks a normal or voluntary explanation.
• “Suspicious” implies facts that suggest possible criminal activity or coercion.
• “Endangered” involves credible risk or harm.
  These definitions guide discretion, and each request is evaluated case-by-case.

Use of Database and Youth Cases

DPS did not answer questions about how its missing-children database (the Arizona Missing & Exploited Children database) is maintained or how many entries are labeled “runaway.” DPS noted that the database contains limited data as entered by investigating agencies and does not capture whether Turquoise Alert criteria are satisfied.

Law-enforcement agencies in Arizona file hundreds of juvenile runaway reports each month. DPS warns that issuing a statewide alert for each case would “quickly desensitise the public and reduce effectiveness.” Many runaway cases, while important and investigated, do not present enough danger or suspicious circumstance to qualify for a Turquoise Alert.

Participation by local agencies in Turquoise-Alert training is voluntary; DPS offers outreach—including virtual sessions—on how to submit requests.

The Case of Emily Pike and the “Runaway” Label

Emily Pike, from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, disappeared from a group home in Mesa earlier this year. She was labelled a “runaway,” and at the time of her disappearance she would not have met the statutory criteria for a Turquoise Alert.

During the bill-signing, DPS Captain Thomas Neve explained that a person labelled a runaway doesn’t automatically qualify for an alert: “If somebody decides to leave or go missing of their own volition … it wouldn’t necessarily qualify.”

Advocates—including Emily’s tribal community and family—say that using the runaway label for a missing child reduces the urgency of investigations. Some criminal-justice experts argue that any missing child under 18 should automatically be considered endangered. Emily’s uncle, Allred Pike Jr., remarked:

“I hear two words, ‘runaway and missing.’ Two little words that make a big difference on whether an investigation is done or whether they just sweep it under the rug.”

Indigenous Communities and the Alert’s Original Focus

Indigenous children go missing at disproportionately high rates compared with their representation in the U.S. child population, according to a 2023 congressional report. In Arizona, since the Turquoise Alert’s launch on July 10, more than 20 children identified as “Indian” were reported missing in the state database.

While the Turquoise Alert is the only alert system in Arizona to explicitly mention availability for members of federally recognised tribes, all the state’s alerts (including Turquoise) have historically been available to tribal law-enforcement agencies.

The original legislation was aimed exclusively at missing Indigenous people in Arizona. It was later broadened to include any missing and endangered person under 65. While this made it more inclusive, critics argue that it also shifted focus away from the original goal—addressing long-standing inaction and high rates of violence in Indigenous communities. Arizona is home to 22 federally recognised tribal nations and was found in a 2018 study to have the third-highest number of Indigenous women and girls missing or murdered in the U.S.

A 2020 legislative study found 160 Indigenous women and girls were murdered in Arizona between 1976 and 2018. In addition, the national database of missing and unidentified persons reports just over 90 Native Americans were reported missing in Arizona since 1956 (as of October 29). A newly launched database by Arizona Luminaria lists nearly 100 missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls; among them, those aged 19-46 account for about 70 % of the cases.

The Turquoise Alert is designed to serve as a safety-net for missing persons cases that fall outside the traditional Amber or Silver programmes. While its single activation might appear underwhelming given the number of missing-person reports, the low count reflects the strict criteria that safeguard the alert’s credibility and public impact. Indigenous communities in Arizona remain disproportionately affected by missing and murdered persons cases—and though the system now formally recognises tribal communities, some critics say the broader eligibility may dilute its original purpose. For the alert to fulfil its promise, agencies must carefully apply its framework—and the public must stay alert when the criteria are indeed met.