North Dakota’s Feather Alert to roll out in August

Supporters of HB 1535 — including relatives of missing Standing Rock tribal member Renzo Bullhead — said it was a crucial tool for combating the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis.

“The Feather Alert could be the critical beacon of hope that leads to the safe return of our loved ones, especially for missing Indigenous people,” Bullhead’s mother, Diedra Leaf, told Buffalo’s Fire in April. “This isn’t just about legislation; it’s about lives and the urgency of bringing our children home.”

But several officials spoke out against the legislation in its current form, arguing it was problematic and could lead to other issues. Among them was Lt. Jenna Huibregtse of the North Dakota Highway Patrol. She told lawmakers that while she supported the bill’s intent and agreed that greater awareness was needed on the MMIP issue, she was concerned about overburdening the existing alert system and therefore limiting its effectiveness.

Huibregtse said there were already Amber Alerts for children, Silver Alerts for senior citizens, and Blue Alerts for police officers.

“When people are fatigued by alerts, they shut their notifications off and we are no longer able to reach them when a vulnerable or abducted person goes missing,” she said.

Several drafts later, HB 1535 passed through both chambers of the North Dakota statehouse, and, on May 2, it was signed into law by Governor Kelly Armstrong.

What changed

State Rep. Jayme Davis, the sponsor of HB 1535, said that despite the changes made to her Feather Alert bill, its core focus and resolve remained the same: to create a system that protects tribal members and all North Dakotans effectively.

“I wasn’t initially aware of the specific levels and criteria required to activate different alerts,” Davis explained in an email. “Once I understood that, I saw the importance of aligning the Feather Alert criteria with existing protocols to ensure the system’s integrity and public trust.”

Davis said in response to Huibregtse’s concerns over “alert fatigue,” her legislation was rewritten “to keep the activation criteria for Feather Alerts consistent with other statewide alerts to avoid misuse and maintain credibility.”

Huibregtse acknowledged that she and other NDHP personnel worked “heavily” with legislators toward a version that she felt would best serve the most vulnerable populations across the state.

Both the Feather Alert and Missing Endangered Persons alerts will go live on August 1. She said they have the same criteria, though the former is to be used only for Indigenous people.

“The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) — otherwise known as the phone blast that makes a loud noise on everyone’s phone — will only be used in abduction cases,” explained Huibregtse. “This will ensure we are not overusing the most intrusive alerting mechanism. We will, however, be able to use the rest of the alerting system in a tiered fashion.”

Those other parts of the system — which will be activated when someone is at risk of serious bodily harm or death — include alerts broadcasted through radio and TV stations, state and local websites, social media, lottery service messaging and digital road signs.

Davis said another change to her bill addressed a broader gap in the alert system.

“During our discussions, it came to my attention that there wasn’t an alert specifically for adults 18 and older who go missing and are believed to be at imminent risk of serious harm,” she wrote in the email. “Some questioned why we would create an alert specifically for Indigenous people when there wasn’t one for all missing adults. That was a valid point, so I included the creation of the ‘Missing and Endangered Persons Alert Notice’ in the bill, which can be activated when any adult is abducted or is at imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death.”

Both Davis and Huibregtse say North Dakotans should be ready for the launch of the new system. If someone is abducted who falls in the category of either Missing Endangered Person or Feather Alert, people will see that WEA on their smartphones. The alerts should function similarly to existing statewide alerts such as Amber or Silver Alerts. Authorities say further information will be posted after August 1 at ndresponse.gov/alert

Authorities hopeful lives will be saved

“We are looking forward to utilizing these alert types and know they will save lives,” said Huibregtse. “MMIP is a crisis in not just North Dakota but across the country, and we are looking forward to being part of the change.”

Huibregtse said since the legislation became law, trainings have been held for law enforcement and the Belcourt and Standing Rock communities, with more training planned for New Town. Online training for other law enforcement officers and emergency managers are also being provided.

While Davis says the Feather Alert is about saving lives and honoring the families who’ve fought for visibility, she said it also highlights the continued work needed to address the systemic issues driving the MMIP crisis: jurisdictional complexities, lack of resources, and societal neglect.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2023, homicide rates among American Indian/Alaska Native people were nearly five times higher than homicide rates for white people.

According to the 2016-2017 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 57.7% of Native women suffered sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetimes. The rate for Native men was 51.1%.

“My commitment is to keep working alongside families, tribal nations, law enforcement and community partners to ensure we not only respond effectively when someone goes missing but also build safer communities where this crisis no longer exists,” Davis said.