PUBLIC LAW 114–12—MAY 19, 2015 

RAFAEL RAMOS AND WENJIAN LIU 

NATIONAL BLUE ALERT ACT OF 2015 


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129 STAT. 192 PUBLIC LAW 114–12—MAY 19, 2015 

Public Law 114–12 

114th Congress 

An Act 

To encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the United 

States in order to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is 

seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, is missing in connection with 

the officer’s 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 

received, and for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rafael Ramos and Wenjian 

Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act: 

(1) COORDINATOR.—The term ‘‘Coordinator’’ means the Blue 

Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice designated 

under section 4(a). 

(2) BLUE ALERT.—The term ‘‘Blue Alert’’ means information 

sent through the network relating to— 

(A) the serious injury or death of a law enforcement 

officer in the line of duty; 

(B) an officer who is missing in connection with the 

officer’s official duties; or 

(C) an imminent and credible threat that an individual 

intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law 

enforcement officer. 

(3) BLUE ALERT PLAN.—The term ‘‘Blue Alert plan’’ means 

the plan of a State, unit of local government, or Federal agency 

participating in the network for the dissemination of information received as a Blue Alert. 

(4) LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.—The term ‘‘law enforcement officer’’ shall have the same meaning as in section 1204 

of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

(42 U.S.C. 3796b). 

(5) NETWORK.—The term ‘‘network’’ means the Blue Alert 

communications network established by the Attorney General 

under section 3. 

(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the 50 States, 

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 

Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 

the Northern Mariana Islands. 

42 USC 14165. 

Rafael Ramos 

and Wenjian Liu 

National Blue 

Alert Act of 2015. 

42 USC 13701 

note. 

May 19, 2015 

[S. 665] 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–12—MAY 19, 2015 129 STAT. 193 

SEC. 3. BLUE ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 

The Attorney General shall establish a national Blue Alert 

communications network within the Department of Justice to issue 

Blue Alerts through the initiation, facilitation, and promotion of 

Blue Alert plans, in coordination with States, units of local government, law enforcement agencies, and other appropriate entities. 

SEC. 4. BLUE ALERT COORDINATOR; GUIDELINES. 

(a) COORDINATION WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.—The 

Attorney General shall assign an existing officer of the Department 

of Justice to act as the national coordinator of the Blue Alert 

communications network. 

(b) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—The Coordinator shall— 

(1) provide assistance to States and units of local government that are using Blue Alert plans; 

(2) establish voluntary guidelines for States and units of 

local government to use in developing Blue Alert plans that 

will promote compatible and integrated Blue Alert plans 

throughout the United States, including— 

(A) a list of the resources necessary to establish a 

Blue Alert plan; 

(B) criteria for evaluating whether a situation warrants 

issuing a Blue Alert; 

(C) guidelines to protect the privacy, dignity, independence, and autonomy of any law enforcement officer who 

may be the subject of a Blue Alert and the family of 

the law enforcement officer; 

(D) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued 

with respect to a law enforcement officer if— 

(i) the law enforcement agency involved— 

(I) confirms— 

(aa) the death or serious injury of the 

law enforcement officer; or 

(bb) the attack on the law enforcement 

officer and that there is an indication of the 

death or serious injury of the officer; or 

(II) concludes that the law enforcement officer 

is missing in connection with the officer’s official 

duties; 

(ii) there is an indication of serious injury to or 

death of the law enforcement officer; 

(iii) the suspect involved has not been 

apprehended; and 

(iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of 

the suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag 

numbers; 

(E) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued 

with respect to a threat to cause death or serious injury 

to a law enforcement officer if— 

(i) a law enforcement agency involved confirms 

that the threat is imminent and credible; 

(ii) at the time of receipt of the threat, the suspect 

is wanted by a law enforcement agency; 

(iii) the suspect involved has not been 

apprehended; and 

Assignment. 

42 USC 14165b. 

Establishment. 

42 USC 14165a. 


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129 STAT. 194 PUBLIC LAW 114–12—MAY 19, 2015 

(iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of 

the suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag 

numbers; 

(F) guidelines— 

(i) that information should be provided to the 

National Crime Information Center database operated 

by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under section 

534 of title 28, United States Code, and any relevant 

crime information repository of the State involved, 

relating to— 

(I) a law enforcement officer who is seriously 

injured or killed in the line of duty; or 

(II) an imminent and credible threat to cause 

the serious injury or death of a law enforcement 

officer; 

(ii) that a Blue Alert should, to the maximum 

extent practicable (as determined by the Coordinator 

in consultation with law enforcement agencies of States 

and units of local governments), be limited to the 

geographic areas most likely to facilitate the apprehension of the suspect involved or which the suspect could 

reasonably reach, which should not be limited to State 

lines; 

(iii) for law enforcement agencies of States or units 

of local government to develop plans to communicate 

information to neighboring States to provide for seamless communication of a Blue Alert; and 

(iv) providing that a Blue Alert should be suspended when the suspect involved is apprehended or 

when the law enforcement agency involved determines 

that the Blue Alert is no longer effective; and 

(G) guidelines for— 

(i) the issuance of Blue Alerts through the network; 

and 

(ii) the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued 

through the network; 

(3) develop protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects that 

address activities during the period beginning at the time of 

the initial notification of a law enforcement agency that a 

suspect has not been apprehended and ending at the time 

of apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement 

agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer 

effective, including protocols regulating— 

(A) the use of public safety communications; 

(B) command center operations; and 

(C) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, and public 

information procedures; 

(4) work with States to ensure appropriate regional 

coordination of various elements of the network; 

(5) establish an advisory group to assist States, units of 

local government, law enforcement agencies, and other entities 

involved in the network with initiating, facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans, which shall include— 

(A) to the maximum extent practicable, representation 

from the various geographic regions of the United States; 

and 

(B) members who are— 

Establishment. 

Protocols. 

Time period. 

Consultation. 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–12—MAY 19, 2015 129 STAT. 195 

(i) representatives of a law enforcement organization representing rank-and-file officers; 

(ii) representatives of other law enforcement agencies and public safety communications; 

(iii) broadcasters, first responders, dispatchers, and 

radio station personnel; and 

(iv) representatives of any other individuals or 

organizations that the Coordinator determines are necessary to the success of the network; 

(6) act as the nationwide point of contact for— 

(A) the development of the network; and 

(B) regional coordination of Blue Alerts through the 

network; and 

(7) determine— 

(A) what procedures and practices are in use for notifying law enforcement and the public when— 

(i) a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously 

injured in the line of duty; 

(ii) a law enforcement officer is missing in connection with the officer’s official duties; and 

(iii) an imminent and credible threat to kill or 

seriously injure a law enforcement officer is received; 

and 

(B) which of the procedures and practices are effective 

and that do not require the expenditure of additional 

resources to implement. 

(c) LIMITATIONS.— 

(1) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—The guidelines established 

under subsection (b)(2), protocols developed under subsection 

(b)(3), and other programs established under subsection (b), 

shall not be mandatory. 

(2) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The guidelines established under subsection (b)(2) shall, to the maximum extent 

practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in consultation 

with law enforcement agencies of States and units of local 

government), provide that appropriate information relating to 

a Blue Alert is disseminated to the appropriate officials of 

law enforcement agencies, public health agencies, and other 

agencies. 

(3) PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES PROTECTIONS.—The guidelines established under subsection (b) shall— 

(A) provide mechanisms that ensure that Blue Alerts 

comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local privacy 

laws and regulations; and 

(B) include standards that specifically provide for the 

protection of the civil liberties, including the privacy, of 

law enforcement officers who are seriously injured or killed 

in the line of duty, is missing in connection with the officer’s 

official duties, or who are threatened with death or serious 

injury, and the families of the officers. 

(d) COOPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.—The Coordinator 

shall cooperate with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Transportation, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and appropriate offices of the Department of 

Justice in carrying out activities under this Act. 

(e) RESTRICTIONS ON COORDINATOR.—The Coordinator may 

not— 

Consultation. 


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129 STAT. 196 PUBLIC LAW 114–12—MAY 19, 2015 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 665: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 161 (2015): 

Apr. 30, considered and passed Senate. 

May 12, considered and passed House. 

DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2015): 

May 19, Presidential remarks. 

Æ 

(1) perform any official travel for the sole purpose of carrying out the duties of the Coordinator; 

(2) lobby any officer of a State regarding the funding or 

implementation of a Blue Alert plan; or 

(3) host a conference focused solely on the Blue Alert program that requires the expenditure of Federal funds. 

(f) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Coordinator shall submit 

to Congress a report on the activities of the Coordinator and the 

effectiveness and status of the Blue Alert plans that are in effect 

or being developed. 

Approved May 19, 2015. 


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