We have the Amber Alert and the Silver Alert, now there's a proposal for a 'Blue Alert,' News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
State Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) has proposed that the state create an alert to go out to broadcasters, highway signs and smart phones to get action quickly whenever a police officer is shot.
"Immediately alert other law enforcement agencies, the press, and the public of the suspects who are on the loose who we are seeking," Whitmire said.
Whitmire, who heads the powerful Senate Criminal Justice Committee and is one of the most influential members of the Legislature, says his bill comes after a bloody year for Texas law enforcement, including the ambush murder of five officers in Dallas in July and the murder of San Antonio Police Detective Ben Marconi in November.
"This is modeled after the Amber Alert, the Silver Alert, and we have had a 'Blue Alert,' but it has been through a resolution in the governor's office," he said.
Whitmire says anything that helps quick catch a cop killer is in the best interests of all citizens and would be a good use of state resources.
His bill also proposes $25 million to buy bulletproof vests for officers statewide.