Indian Country

Photo of members of the Not Invisible Act Commission shown with Jolene Hardesty, far right.

Faces: A Shining Light

Following her service on the Not Invisible Act Commission, Michigan’s Jolene Hardesty is dedicated to bringing Native American partners to the table as ‘advisors and equals.’

Group photo at the AMBER in Indian Country Toolkit Presentation in Wisconsin October 12, 2023

Six Wisconsin Tribes Receive AMBER in Indian Country Technology Toolkits

The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP)/AMBER in Indian Country (AIIC) Initiative recently presented Technology Toolkits to six Wisconsin Tribal Nations during a quarterly Native American Drug and Gang Initiative Task Force Advisory Board meeting at the Oneida Nation Police Headquarters in Oneida.

Navajo Nation Police Department

AMBER Alert in Indian Country Technology Toolkits on the Move

When a child goes missing, law enforcement response time is critical. So is having the right tools. An endeavor to donate nearly every technological resource necessary for responding to missing and abducted children cases – a rugged laptop, digital camera, scanner, and more – is now underway thanks to the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) initiative, a component of the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018.

AMBER Alert in Indian Country News Briefs (Issue 51)

New Washington State alert addresses high rate of missing indigenous people A first-of-its-kind alert system for missing indigenous women and people was signed into law in Washington state in March 2022. The system helps distribute information about missing Native Americans much like an AMBER Alert. Washington has the second-highest number of missing indigenous people in […]

AMBER Alert in Indian Country News Briefs (Issue 50)

On March 31, 2022, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the nation’s first Indigenous Alert for missing Native Americans. The alert will send messages to law enforcement, news agencies, social media, and electronic highway signs. The alert is designed to address a much needed and improved response to the high rate of missing and […]

Native American Woman holding out a red-painted palm

May 5th Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day Highlights the Urgent Need for Impactful Responses, Data, and Education

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day events of May 5 will come in many forms — documentary premieres, educational symposiums, marches, and more — but all will share a singular goal: To spotlight the disproportionately high number of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls while promoting resolution, collaboration, accountability, and prevention. “The […]

Growth Sector: Navajo Nation

Yes WEA Can
With the Navajo Nation’s COVID-19 emergency response in high gear, tech leader Christopher Becenti is closing ‘the digital divide’ to make life safer in his community

AMBER Alert in Indian Country: Issue 2 2021

Contributed by Pamela Foster, mother of Ashlynne May 2, 2021, will mark five years since the abduction of my children Ashlynne and Ian Mike. Ian was at a tender age of 9 and still very young and spent a majority of his time cementing his relationship with his sister. Ashlynne was 11 and she was […]

Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye is joined by NDEM Director Harland Cleveland, Vice President Jonathan Nez, Chief of Police Phillip Francisco and DPS Director Jesse Delmar.

AMBER Alert in Indian Country: Issue 1 2021

“Thankfully, we were prepared.” On Nov. 25, 2020, the Navajo Nation AMBER Alert faced its first real test – and aced it. The AMBER Alert led to two young sisters being safely returned to their home in northwest New Mexico, and that left Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management Harlan Cleveland breathing yet another sigh […]

2019 AAR Thumbnail

2019 AMBER Alert Report

The afternoon of Jan. 13, 1996, Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who lived in Arlington, Texas, was last seen riding her bike in a parking lot. A witness saw a man with a black, flat-bed truck snatch Amber from her bicycle. Four days later, Amber’s body was found in a creek 3.2 miles from her […]

1000th AMBER Alert Recovery

An Enduring Legacy for Amber: 1,000 Success Stories (from missingkids.org)

The original post can be found at https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2020/1000-success-stories   For more on Amber’s case, read about continued hard work and hope on the 25th anniversary of her abduction. By Patricia Davis 07-23-2020 A home movie was being shown on the evening news, and Diana Simone stopped what she was doing to watch, curious why they […]

Group Photo from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Event in Oregon, May 2020

Strengthening the Safety Net

In honor of Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day and to support the efforts to fight this crisis, the City of Portland Tribal Relations Program sponsored “Strengthening the Safety Net: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Week” from May 3-8, 2020.  During this week, the City of Portland’s Tribal Relations Program […]

Screen shot of video feature for the 32nd annual candlelight vigil, national police week 2020

Recognizing Service and Protection for Tribal Communities: 2020 National Police Week

During this 2020 National Police Week, we wish to thank each of you for your service and sacrifice on behalf of the tribal communities across the United States. During these unprecedented times you have stayed strong, placing yourselves on the front lines, facing the dangers of the corona virus while protecting our children and our […]

Recognizing the Importance of the Proclamation

With the signing of a proclamation declaring May 5th as Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day, President Trump has taken a step forward in our nation’s efforts to raise awareness and protect Native American and Alaskan Native communities. Before we can make any real progress, we as a nation must first […]

President Trump signs proclamation in the oval office with Native American representatives present

President Proclaims Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day 2020

As shared from WhiteHouse.gov’s Law and Justice Proclamation on May 5, 2020: The American Indian and Alaska Native people have endured generations of injustice.  They experience domestic violence, homicide, sexual assault, and abuse far more frequently than other groups.  These horrific acts, committed predominantly against women and girls, are egregious and unconscionable.  During Missing and […]

Tyesha Wood, Project Coordinator, AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and ITCN Council Members

Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada Quarterly Meeting

Written by: Tyesha Wood On January 31, 2020, AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AATTAP-AIIC) team members Tyesha Wood and Tanea Parmenter attended the quarterly meeting of the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (ITCN) in Sparks, Nevada. During this meeting, they provided a brief presentation on the Ashlynne Mike […]

AATTAP – AIIC Team Members and Representatives from the Wyoming State Patrol and Wind River Inter-Tribal Council

Wind River Inter-Tribal Council AMBER Alert Implementation Meeting

Written by: Tyesha Wood, Project Coordinator, AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and ITCN Council Members On March 11, 2020, the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AATTAP-AIIC) team, in partnership with the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program, conducted a one-day AMBER Alert in Indian Country Implementation […]

Read the Report to Congress

When a child is abducted, every second counts—and every decision matters. AMBER Alert is an early warning system that activates an urgent bulletin to galvanize community support and bring a missing child home. It is a powerful, modern alarm bell.

AMBER Alert in Indian Country

The Navajo Nation brought a nine-month-old baby safely back to his mother after issuing its first Endangered Missing Person Advisory. The Department of Emergency Management issued the advisory for Nickolias Elias Tom on September 26 after his non-custodial father took him and authorities determined the baby was in danger. The advisory was issued at 7:13 […]

AMBER Alert in Indian Country

Tribal leaders, law enforcement, and child protection advocates came together September 25-26 in Fort McDowell, Arizona, to learn, dialogue and network at the inaugural session of what will be a series of collaborative training and technical assistance events under the new Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Law. The AMBER Alert Training and Technical […]

AMBER Alert in Indian Country – Summer 2018

Near the steps of the Great Hall of Justice in Washington D.C., a work of art was displayed for all who took part in the 2018 National Missing Children’s Day ceremony. The painting depicts a sorrowful Native American girl holding a single eagle feather. The painting by Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Kathleen Piccione is […]

AMBER Alert in Indian Country – Spring 2018

The Navajo Nation can now issue its own AMBER Alerts when a child is abducted on tribal lands. The AMBER Alert system is in effect for the eleven counties that cover the reservation in Arizona and Utah. According to Harlan Cleveland, Emergency Coordinator and Acting Director for the Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management, the […]

HOUSE PASSES McCAIN-HEITKAMP BILL TO EXPAND AMBER ALERT SYSTEM ON NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS

The following press release was originally posted on: https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D8F87771-66A8-47F5-9F83-E598051004BE Washington, D.C. ­– Last night, the House of Representatives passed the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act, legislation introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) in the Senate that would expand the AMBER Alert child abduction warning system on Native American reservations. Specifically, the legislation would clarify […]

Kathleen Piccione (Chippewa)

Never Forgotten

“Never Forgotten” by Kathleen Piccione (Chippewa) Over the holidays I received a package in the mail which contained a framed print of a Native American child.  When I looked closely I saw that the print was signed by the artist and included the inscription; “Never Forgotten, In Memory of Ashlynne”.  While the artwork itself is […]

Ashton Fish Performance at the 2017 National AMBER Alert Symposium

  It took only a few minutes for 10-year old Ashton Fish to express for everyone at the 2017 AMBER Alert Symposium, through both word and dance, why everything possible must be done to protect missing and abducted children in Indian Country. “I want to be the voice for all the Indian children,” said Fish. […]

Navajo Nation Gets AMBER Alert

By Denise Gee Peacock WINDOW ROCK — On December 12, 2017, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye signed a contract to purchase a mass notification software to implement an emergency alert system for road closures, weather notifications, hazardous waste spills, wildfires, and AMBER Alerts. “We always pray that we will never have another abduction, but we […]

AMBER Alert in Indian Country – Fall 2017

The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program added two new online training opportunities to its array of eLearning courses in September 2017. These two one-hour trainings are uniquely designed for tribal law enforcement and others working in child protection efforts in tribal communities. For complete information, and to register, visit the AMBER Alert in […]

Tribal Child Protection Symposium Offered in North Dakota

Tribal officials and AMBER Alert partners gathered for a child protection symposium on June 1-2, 2017, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to share ideas on helping children in Indian Country. The symposium included presentations on child exploitation, human trafficking, and endangered and abducted children. Presentations addressed the latest tools and technologies to support AMBER Alert programs […]

Casey Jo Pipestem and America's Most Wanted article header

“She Was a Sweet Girl and Did Not Deserve to Die”

Casey Jo Pipestem was raised in Oklahoma City as a member of the Seminole Tribe. Casey’s grandmother raised her until she passed away when Casey was just 7 years old. She then lived with other relatives, but found it difficult to fit in while living in rural communities. Casey dropped out of high school, moved […]

navajo seal

Navajo Tribal Members Use Walk to Raise Awareness About Abduction Victims

Tribal members joined together for a 5-mile walk to Window Rock, the seat of the Navajo Nation, to raise awareness about the AMBER Alert and abducted children. They carried banners, signs and ribbons to keep the memory of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike alive following her May 2016 abduction and murder. “If something was ever to happen […]

navajo seal

New Mexico Will Issue AMBER Alerts for the Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation will now issue AMBER Alerts through the New Mexico Child Abduction Alert System. The state would also notify Arizona and Utah if the Navajo Nation issues an AMBER Alert. New Mexico will issue the alerts as the Navajo Nation Alert System Task Force works to fully develop an AMBER Alert program, a […]

Cindy McCain

2016 TRIBAL SYMPOSIUM

The Tribal Child Protection Leadership Forum and Symposium began with a traditional Native American blessing that included the words, “Oh child where are you?” The events took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, July 19-21, 2016, and included representatives from more than 25 tribes who shared lessons learned and experiences with AMBER Alert Coordinators, Missing Persons Clearinghouse […]