[EAS] FCC BLU Alert Proposal

[Tim Stoffel]

Using LEW for a road closure is not necessarily a bad thing. You need to take into account the nature of a road closure. Closing a side street temporarily so the fire department can get old Mrs. Leary's cat out of a tree would not be an appropriate event to use EAS for. But closing a major arterial street or an expressway during rush hour would be very appropriate for a LEW. No special code is needed here because no fundamentally different action is required from many other kinds of law enforcement situations. (An AMBER alert, OTOH does involve a fundamentally different action (observe vs take action to protect), thus is is good for all abduction/missing persons cases, be it a child, a senior citizen, or a police officer.)

Thanks for the notice of the upcoming NPRM comment period. Time, perhaps, to make some comments.

Tim Stoffel

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The BLUE alert advocates claim a need for a distinct, new code because the existing LEW code has been used by law enforcement for minor information such as road closures.

Instead of a new BLU alert code, maybe a different solution is better guidance and training for law enforcement.  Stop using LEW for minor things like road closures and non-criminal hazards. Teach law enforcement to use WEA and EAS for major stuff.