What is a Texas Blue Alert?

Texas Blue Alerts are designed to speed up the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or seriously wound local, state, or federal law enforcement officers.

During a Blue Alert, the public is provided information regarding the suspected assailant so that tips and leads about that person can be directed toward law enforcement.

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If you spot or locate someone wanted in connection with a Blue Alert, call 911 and do not attempt to apprehend the person on your own.

The state's Blue Alert program was created on Aug. 18, 2008, by Gov. Rick Perry (R) under Executive Order RP-68.

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For a Blue Alert to be put into effect, the following criteria must be met:

A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously injured by an offender.
The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.
A detailed description of the offender's vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public.
The investigating law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend activating the Blue Alert to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

TEXAS STATEWIDE ALERT PROGRAMS

Eight kinds of alerts can be issued for missing or endangered people in Texas. Below are links to articles with more information about each type of alert.