The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plans to test the Colorado AMBER Alert System on Wednesday.
The CBI will send notifications to people who are signed up for test alerts while avoiding those who are not signed up to receive the notification. By default, the alert test system is disabled on all phones.
Those who are signed up for the alert test feature will receive the notification at 11 a.m. The CBI reminded Coloradans who get the notification to keep in mind, it's just a test. No action needs to be taken.
“One of the challenges of the WEA system is that it only provides for a maximum of 360 characters in the cell phone message, which dramatically limits the amount of information the CBI can offer in these time-sensitive situations,” CBI Director Chris Schaefer said. “The URL redirect to a site will further enhance our ability to share critical and helpful information in a timely manner.”
In its current form, the alert links will update to X (Twitter), but it is now transitioning to posting the final link to a Google Site. X will still be receiving the notifications, but the CBI wanted to use this Google site as the main hub for the public to see when they click the link.
For the media, alerts will still be received through the existing framework. The new URL redirect is only for AMBER and Blue alerts. All other forms of alerts will be sent through existing text and email chains and will continue to be shared on the CBI's Facebook and Twitter profiles.
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The test comes three days before National Missing Children's Day on May 25.
The CBI also wants to remind the public of the criteria required to send out an AMBER Alert:
- The abducted child must be 17 years of age or younger.
- The abducted child must be in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death.
- There must be enough descriptive information available to believe a broadcast will assist or aid in the recovery.
- The activation must be requested by a local law enforcement agency or AMBER designee from another state.