Today Gov. Rick Perry ordered a new “Blue Alert” system to help find and arrest suspects when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

Similar to Amber Alerts for cases of child abduction and Silver Alerts used for missing senior citizens, Blue Alerts will use Texas Department of Transportation highway message signs to display information such as a suspects vehicle description or license plate number.

The Blue Alert system will also coordinate with the Department of Public Safety and Perry’s Division of Emergency Management to get the information to television and radio stations for broadcast.

The program “will be a powerful tool that leverages the eyes and ears of many toward the apprehension of criminals who threaten our protectors,” Perry said.

The program would use several criteria to determine if a Blue Alert is warranted:

  • A law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured by an offender.
  • The investigating law enforcement agency determines the suspect poses a serious threat to the public or other law officers.
  • A detailed description of the suspects vehicle and tag or a partial tag is available for broadcast.
  • The investigating agency requests a Blue Alert.

    • Texas launches Blue Alert when officers killed or seriously injured