Feather Alert: What is it and how is it working?

On Sept. 27, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2348, a bill that would be intended to fix the problems with the current Feather Alert system. The new bill will require law enforcement agencies to issue a Feather Alert within 48 hours of receiving the request. 

“AB 2348 will be a helpful tool in getting Feather Alerts activated quicker. The 24-hour window of determination by our law enforcement partners will help to determine the direction our tribal partners and their family can take in regards to their missing family members,” said California lawmaker, James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) in a September press release.

Initiated in 2022 by Ramos, Feather Alert is a statewide emergency alert system that assists law enforcement agencies throughout the state of California find missing Indigenous people who are classified as “at-risk” of being physically harmed or murdered.

Similar to an Amber Alert for missing minors or Silver Alert for missing seniors, Feather Alerts are meant to combat the missing and murdered Indigenous people within tribal communities across California.

In November 2024, the community saw the effectiveness of the new bill when a Feather Alert was issued for Naomi Donahue, 20, of the Bear River Rancheria band. Donahue went missing on Nov. 17 in Arcata and was located within 48 hours after the public alert.  

History

The Feather Alert Bill, also known as Assembly Bill 1314 of Chapter 476, was a signal of distress for California’s legislative branch and law enforcement to intervene and correct the historical injustices that have heavily impacted Indigenous communities, according to Chief Greg O’Rourke of the Yurok Tribal Police Department.

“Being born Native and coming from that place of trauma, both intergenerational and historic trauma, when a Native person goes missing, there are inherent risk factors that are stemming from that,” O’Rourke said.

Notably, the Yurok Tribe of Humboldt County funded and co-authored the studies to help identify the statistics needed to support AB 1314 with Ramos’ efforts to introduce the bill initially.

Ramos has also proposed other measures to bring awareness to tribal community issues by creating a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Awareness Month, designated as the month of May.

Ongoing Concerns

Native communities have reported concerns with the chain of approval, timeliness of alerts and response from California Highway Patrol (CHP), the agency that issues the Feather Alerts.

“There is still a struggle for CHP to issue Feather Alerts,” said Julia Oliveira, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Investigator for the Yurok Tribe. “There’s still deputies that don’t understand what to do or whether they meet the criteria or not. In my opinion, I think it’s subjective because there is not a clear outline on the requirement or how to interpret the request for the Feather Alerts.” 

According to Humboldt County’s Sheriff William Honsal, he believes there has been mistrust between law enforcement and the tribes because certain officers didn’t treat crimes on tribal land seriously, or they thought it was someone else’s jurisdiction.

“The police department is looking at incorporating and also putting together trainings for a trauma informed policing approach,” Honsal said.

Jurisdiction Questions

Honsal, who oversees Tribal Affairs in Humboldt County said, “We recognize that historically, there has been a lot of trauma when it comes to the government and law enforcement forcing themselves on tribal sovereignty, as seen 70 years ago, when Public Law 280 became law in California.”

In 1953, Congress enacted Public Law 280 (PL 280), which determined what law enforcement agencies hold civil and criminal jurisdiction over tribal lands across the United States. This law was introduced without consulting with the tribes and subsequently, made it difficult for Tribal Police to prosecute non-tribal members for crimes (i.e. rape, murder, human trafficking) they committed on tribal lands.

“Before, people would call me and I would work with families to deal with their frustrations. Now there is more confidence but there are still delays … I’m happy they’re instituting more Feather Alerts but time is not your friend when a person is missing,” Oliveira said. 

PL 280’s jurisdictional complexities can create issues with implementing the Feather Alert system. With the many law enforcement agencies involved in the approval process, the people assisting sometimes lack training and are confused with whose jurisdiction the missing reports belong to. 

“If, me, as the sheriff, says that someone’s in danger, that should meet the criteria, I shouldn’t have to explain what I mean by this person’s in danger, or this is out of the ordinary or a suspicious circumstance. If I tell CHP this is suspicious, take the names down, take the picture down, and issue the Feather Alert,” Honsal said.

The Future of the Feather Alert System

Currently, Feather Alerts are released by digital measures through social media and websites. However, some people say there is still a demand for alternative ways to alert the public to make it more effective.

“The sooner we can get info out through text messages, electronic billboards, or TV, not just social media. We can find the funding for this; we have to prioritize life,” Oliveira said.

Still Missing

“There have been 12 Feather Alerts for 2024 that have been activated this year. There was one Feather Alert activated in 2023,” an officer of the Emergency Notification Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC) unit from CHP said by email on Dec. 4. 

The reporter for this story could not find a public database that lists all of the Indigenous people who are still missing throughout the state of California or by county prior to 2022, when the Feather Alert System started. However, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department has a general Missing Persons List on its website that was last updated on Sept. 27, 2023. 

A study conducted in 2020 by the Yurok Tribe reported there were 105 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIWP) cases listed in Northern California. 

“One person has three family members missing and all from different generations,” Oliveira said. “That is huge for a family … People outside still don’t understand the impact this has. This is an open wound for these missing people and their families.” 

In order for a Feather Alert to be issued, the missing person report must meet the criteria implemented by the California Highway Patrol’s Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center (CHP-ENTAC):

• 1. The missing person is an Indigenous woman or person.
• 2. The investigating law enforcement agency has utilized available local and tribal resources.
• 3. The law enforcement agency determines that the person has gone missing under unexplainable or suspicious circumstances.
• 4. The law enforcement agency believes that the person is in danger.
• 5. There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.
• Source: Feather Alert Criteria posted on the California Highway Patrol website

The Feather Alert Chain of Command:

• Step 1: A Missing Report can be investigated by Deputized Tribal Police or the local Sheriff’s Department overseeing the Tribal land.
• Step 2: Tribal Police and or the Sheriff’s Department assesses if the Missing Person meets the Feather Alert Criteria
• Step 3: Tribal Police and or the Sheriff’s Department contacts. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) – Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC) and requests a feather alert be issued.
• Step 4: If the California Highway Patrol ENTAC confirms the Missing Report meets the Feather Alert Criteria, the Feather Alert is issued by ENTAC.
• Step 5: CHP-ENTAC determines the geographical area where the Feather Alert will be issued.   
•  Source: Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal in Dec. 3, 2024