Washington Legislature OK’s Missing Indigenous Women Alert

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – The Washington state Legislature has approved an alert system to help identify and locate missing Indigenous people.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson says it’s the first of its kind in the nation.

It will be similar to so-called “silver alerts” that are in place for missing vulnerable adults.

The measure passed both chambers unanimously, with a final vote in the House on Monday.

It now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.

According to research conducted by the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle, more than four times as many Indigenous women go missing than white women in Washington state.