Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Missing Persons Alerts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bill would create "ebony" and "purple" alerts for missing Black people and people with disabilities
Summary
Senate Bill 6,070 would expand Washington's alert system by adding an "ebony" alert for missing Black people and a "purple" alert for missing people with disabilities, and it would permit certain digital-investigative tools to locate endangered missing persons; families and advocates said targeted alerts save lives, while witnesses discussed alert design and operational costs.
Senate Bill 6,070 would add two new missing-person alert categories to Washington state's toolkit: an "ebony" alert to assist in the recovery of missing Black people and a "purple" alert to assist in the recovery of missing people with disabilities. The bill also authorizes limited use of investigative tools such as pen registers, trap-and-trace devices and cell-site simulators for locating missing endangered persons under specified conditions and requires nonretention or deletion protocols for some data.
Supporters framed the change as a corrective to longstanding disparities in response. "The African American community now has the highest rate of missing persons in Washington state, surpassing the indigenous communities despite making up only 4.4 percent of the population," testimony from Yasmin Waheed said, citing the 2025 task force report. Family members and survivors described missed opportunities from delayed alerts and urged the committee to act.
Multiple witnesses described the vulnerability of people with cognitive and developmental disabilities and recommended the purple alert explicitly address wandering and elopement risks. Arzu Foro of the Washington Autism Alliance and parent witnesses said early notification and specialized language would speed searches and reduce fatalities. "Please give our law enforcement agencies the tools for Section 4 of Senate Bill 60 70 to bring our loved ones homes," said Tao Hong, a guardian of an adult with autism who had been missing for an extended period.
Law enforcement and prosecutors spoke in support of modernizing authorities for missing-person searches, saying early access to certain digital tools can preserve time-sensitive forensic data. Prosecutors and sheriff associations said the bill seeks to provide tools currently unavailable in the early hours of missing-person cases.
Students and advocates who helped draft the purple-alert proposal described low implementation costs by reusing Amber-Alert infrastructure and minor software configuration; they pointed to other states' experiences as evidence of effectiveness. Testimony also highlighted concerns about alert fatigue and the need for clear, targeted language so the public knows exactly what to look for.
The committee heard broad community support and closed public testimony. No final vote occurred at the hearing; sponsors indicated they would consider amendments related to alert activation criteria, privacy and interagency coordination.
