Lawmakers push for ‘blue alert system’ | News

BOSTON — Massachusetts could be the latest state to adopt a “Blue Alert” system to track dangerous suspects who kill or injure police officers.

A bipartisan proposal recently passed by the state House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee would require the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to implement a statewide blue alert system that would notify the public when authorities are searching for a cop killer.

The bill’s lead sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, said the proposed system is based on the nationwide AMBER and Silver alert levels that police have used for years to track down child abduction victims and malicious senior citizens.

When a police officer is killed or seriously injured, a message containing details of the suspect, his vehicle and other identifying information is placed on digital highway signs and distributed to local television and radio stations for broadcast.

“We’ve seen with other alert systems how effective it can be when citizens have the ability to report a situation,” said Tarr, a Gloucester Republican. “It’s a proven method and a force multiplier that helps law enforcement.”

The proposal, which is before the Senate Budget Committee, has bipartisan support from Senator Michael Moore, a Democrat from Worcester.

At least 36 states, including Vermont, Maine and Connecticut, have approved Blue Alert systems, according to the Blue Alert Foundation, a Florida-based group that is pushing for the system’s nationwide expansion. Several other states, including New York, Pennsylvania and Arkansas, are considering adopting the system.

A law signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2015 authorized states to set up such warning systems. Congress passed the measure following public outrage over the murder of two New York police officers – Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu – who were shot while sitting in their patrol car.

Tarr said the public can often play an important role in finding suspects who have killed police officers without compromising their own safety.

He pointed to the arrest of marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who shot and killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier. Tsarnaev, who was later convicted of the 2013 bombing, was caught after a man informed authorities that he was hiding in a boat in his backyard.

“In this case, we had a suspect who had killed a police officer and was certainly a threat to others,” he said. “If this alert system had been in place, it would have created a platform that would have made it easier to report the whereabouts of a suspect wanted by authorities.”

Tarr’s proposal still has a long way to go through the legislative process on Beacon Hill before it becomes law, as July 31, the end of official sessions, approaches.

If the Senate approves the bill, it will still have to be considered by the House of Representatives before it lands on Governor Maura Healey’s desk for consideration.