What is a Blue Alert? Why your phone went off in Mississippi multiple times over 2 hours
A furious sound and loud vibration pinged on phones of nearly all Mississippians Thursday night with a Blue Alert, a notification unfamiliar to most.
As many as four alerts were sent to residents in a span of about 2 hours after a Meridian, Mississippi police officer was shot and killed. A manhunt ensued for the suspected shooter.
“Blue Alert, Officer Down, Black Nissan Armada, Driven by Dante Marquez Bender. Possibly in the Newton County Area. This suspect is considered armed and dangerous. If seen call 911 or 1-855-642-5378.”
Police officer Kennis Croom was gunned down Thursday at a house in the 2400 block of 51st Avenue. A second victim, identified as Bender’s fiancé, was also killed, authorities told WTOK-TV in Meridian.
Bender, 31, was captured Friday morning in Ackerman and had an initial appearance in Lauderdale County Justice Court, WTOK reported, and claimed he was innocent after the hearing.
The repeated Blue Alert sparked a lively conversation on Twitter, with many questioning what the alert was, why it was sent out so many times and to people across the entire state.
“If they Blue Alert me one more damn time…” one tweet reads.
“A blue alert?? When we started getting emergency notifications about cops??” Another Twitter user asked.
Although used sparingly so far in Mississippi, Blue Alerts have been around for almost 7 years.
Passed in May of 2015, the National Blue Alert Act is designed to “disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, is missing in connection with the officers official duties or an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer is receiver and for other purposes.”
Currently 37 states have a formal statewide Blue Alert plan, including Mississippi.
Blue Alerts make the death of a cop unique, as no other murder uses a the national alert system to notify people.
Mississippians are used to other emergency alerts on their phones: the state receives them for Amber Alerts and for severe weather updates and tropical warnings during hurricane season.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 4:27 PM.