34 U.S.C. § 21903 — Ashanti Alert Coordinator

(a) National coordinator within Department of Justice The Attorney General must pick an employee of the Office of Justice Programs to serve as the national coordinator of the Ashanti Alert communications network. (b) Duties of the Coordinator As national coordinator, the Coordinator must: (1) Work with States and Indian Tribes to encourage them to build more Ashanti Alert plans within the network. (2) Set voluntary guidelines that States and Tribes can use to build compatible, well-integrated Ashanti Alert plans nationwide. These guidelines must include (A) a list of the resources needed to set up a plan; (B) criteria for deciding whether a situation calls for issuing an alert — recognizing that overusing alerts can hurt the network's effectiveness, so the criteria must help determine (i) whether the missing adult's mental capacity and the circumstances of their disappearance — including any history of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, or human trafficking — justify an alert, and (ii) whether the person reporting the adult missing is a credible, appropriate source; (C) guidance on properly using the Ashanti Alert name so people can recognize what the search effort is; and (D) recommendations for protecting the privacy, dignity, independence, autonomy, and safety of the missing adult. (3) Develop proposed protocols for recovering missing adults and reducing how many adults get reported missing — covering everything from when police are first notified through the adult's return to family, a guardian, or home — including (A) public safety communications protocol; (B) case management protocol; (C) command center operations; (D) reunification protocol; (E) procedures for reviewing incidents, evaluating them, debriefing, and sharing public information; and (F) protocols for deciding not to issue an alert. (4) Work with States and Tribes to make sure the different parts of the network are properly coordinated by region. (5) Set up an advisory group to help States, Tribes, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and other groups involved in the network start, support, and promote Ashanti Alert plans. This group must, as much as practical, represent different geographic regions of the country, and must include (A) representatives of adult citizen advocacy groups, law enforcement agencies, victim service providers, and public safety communications; (B) broadcasters, first responders, dispatchers, and radio station staff; and (C) representatives of any other people or organizations the Coordinator decides are needed for the network to succeed. (6) Act as the single nationwide point of contact for (A) building the network, and (B) coordinating regional alerts for missing adults through it. (c) Coordination (1) Coordination with other agencies: The Coordinator must coordinate and consult with the Secretary of Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, the Assistant Secretary for Aging at Health and Human Services, and other relevant Department of Justice offices, including the Office on Violence Against Women, while carrying out this chapter's activities. (2) State, tribal, and local coordination: The Coordinator must consult with local broadcasters and with State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies when setting the minimum standards required under section 21904, and when carrying out other activities under this chapter, as appropriate. (d) Annual reports (1) In general: Starting one year after December 31, 2018, and every year after that, the Coordinator must send Congress a report on (A) the Coordinator's activities, and (B) how well each State's or Indian Tribe's Ashanti Alert plan is working, including plans still being built. (2) Contents: Each report must include: (A) a list of every State or Tribe that has an established plan; (B) a list of every State or Tribe still building one; (C) for each State or Tribe with an established plan, wherever the data is available — (i) how many alerts have been issued, (ii) how many missing adults were successfully found, (iii) the average time between issuing an alert and finding the missing adult, (iv) which State or Tribal agency issues the alerts and how they are sent out, (v) how much it costs to run the plan, (vi) the criteria the State or Tribe uses to decide whether to issue an alert, and (vii) how often missing adults with alerts crossed state lines or tribal borders; (D) what States and Tribes have done to protect the privacy and dignity of missing adults named in alerts; (E) how States and Tribes have improved communication about missing adults among families, caregivers, law enforcement, and other authorities; and (F) any other information the Coordinator thinks is appropriate.