CA lawmakers say new Feather Alert system could be key in finding missing Indigenous people

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Tribal leaders and members of law enforcement gathered at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department headquarters for a roundtable discussion on a new law aimed at finding missing Indigenous people.

"I feel like this is long overdue," said Chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village of California Erica Pinto. "This is an epidemic that we faced for centuries and now we are getting a lot of spotlight on the issue."

The new law, known as the Feather Alert, was co-authored by Assemblyman James Ramos of San Bernardino.

Ramos, who is also the first and only Native American in the California Assembly, said the alert will help reduce the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Native Americans, especially women and girls.

"The state of California is currently number five on the list of all states in the nation of unresolved murders and investigations of Native American women and persons from Indian reservations and Indian communities," he said.

A Feather Alert will act much like an Amber or Silver Alert, providing law enforcement with the resources they need to provide the public with timely information to help recover a missing Indigenous person.

"A lot of people may ask, 'Why do you need this when you have an Amber Alert system?' We need to remember that our Indigenous tribes are sovereign," said San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus.

There are 110 sovereign tribal nations in California.

Under the new law, local law enforcement will work with local tribal authorities to identify missing persons to see if they meet the criteria to send out a Feather Alert.

The California Highway Patrol, which oversees the alert system, will activate it based on that criteria.

"A person going missing from one Indian reservation could have ties to another Indian reservation 600 miles away," said Ramos. "Being able to work with the CHP on all these areas to look at where that Feather Alert could be implemented, not just in one location, but it could spread out throughout the state of California."

They hope the Feather Alert system will help bring home missing loved ones back to their families or offer closure.