A new Virginia law took effect on July 1, 2021, that creates a public alert to help find missing adults with autism. The Jamile Hill Law for Justice covers situations that do not fit the criteria for an AMBER Alert or other alerts. Jamile Hill wandered away in October 2020 and drowned in a swampy area a mile from her home.
Virginia launched a new alert system on July 1, 2021, to be used when adults with autism go missing. Efforts to create the alert started after a 29-year-old woman with autism went missing and drowned in a swampy area a mile away from her home. The Virginia State Police also began using a new communications platform to notify the public about the state’s six different alerts. Virginia has an AMBER Alert, Senior Alert, Critically Missing Adult “Ashanti” Alert, Missing Child with Autism Alert, and the new alert for missing adults with autism. The platform is designed to get the key details out to the public more quickly.
The Richmond, Virginia, Police Department purchased a fleet of drones to help in investigations, including cases involving AMBER Alerts. Twenty officers have been trained to fly the department’s four drones. The Federal Aviation Administration governs drones and state code requires a search warrant unless there is an immediate danger, such as in the case of an AMBER Alert. “They’re small. They’re portable. They’re easily deployed, and they are relatively inexpensive,” said Richmond Police Captain Michael Snawder. “This is a game changer for us.”
Outside a grocery store in San Francisco, Theresa Shanley saw a man and young girl panhandling. The girl looked vaguely familiar. Shanley had seen an AMBER Alert and recognized the girl's “big brown eyes.” The girl, 12-year-old Brittany Smith, had disappeared after her mother had been murdered at their home in Roanoke County, Virginia. Shanley ran into the store and asked employees to call police. Officers quickly arrested the suspect and took the young girl into custody.
“Because of Shanley’s keen eye and her recollection of the AMBER Alert, Brittany is safe today,” said Roanoke County Police Detective Chris Welch.
A citizen suggestion led Virginia to employ lottery ticket terminals for AMBER Alerts. More than 5,000 clerk-operated terminals and 700 self-service machines will scroll AMBER Alert messages. The terminals will not display jackpot amounts and marketing messages when an alert has been activated.