BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE
FACT SHEET
NATIONAL ASHANTI ALERT NETWORK
Background
The Ashanti Alert Act of 2018 (Pub L. 115-401) was signed
into law on December 31, 2018. It authorizes the U.S.
Attorney General to establish a national communications
network to enable and help facilitate regional and local
search efforts for missing individuals who fall outside
the scope of America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency
Response (AMBER) Alerts and Silver Alerts.
The legislation aims to encourage, enhance, and integrate
the development of Ashanti Alert Plans and enhance
communications among participating states, territories,
and tribes in locating missing adults. Participation in this
effort is voluntary. The act aims to ensure that states,
territories, and tribes that are voluntarily implementing an
Ashanti Alert Plan have access to guidance and resources.
Ashanti Alerts
Ashanti Alerts, once implemented, can provide for
rapid dissemination of information to law enforcement
agencies, media, and the public about adults who have
been reported missing, along with suspect information
in cases of suspected abduction. Ashanti Alerts could
be transmitted via wireless devices and through the
Emergency Alert System (EAS).
Ashanti Alert Activation Criteria
The Ashanti Alert Act criteria focus on three key areas:
• Individuals over the age of 17
• Missing adults with special needs or circumstances
• Missing adults who are endangered or have been
involuntarily abducted or kidnapped
Who Was Ashanti Billie?
Ashanti Billie was a 19-year-old woman who
disappeared on September 18, 2017, in Hampton
Roads, Virginia. Two weeks later, authorities
discovered her body in Charlotte, North Carolina —
350 miles away.
The amount of time and distance traveled between
Ashanti’s abduction and the discovery of her body,
as well as falling outside the scope of other alert
programs, raised questions regarding the lack of a
state, regional, or nationwide missing persons alert
system that focused on individuals over the age of
17. Named in her honor, the Ashanti Alert Act aims to
solve this problem.
Resources
The Bureau of Justice Assistance provides resources
and technical assistance to states, Indian tribes, local
governments, law enforcement agencies, and other
stakeholders seeking to establish or enhance an existing
Ashanti Alert Plan. Examples of available resources include
the following:
• Guidance for Developing an Ashanti Alert Plan
• Ashanti Alert Programs Summary
March 2021 U.S. Department of Justice • Ofce of Justice Programs • Bureau of Justice Assistance
bja.ojp.gov
BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE
FACT SHEET
• Ashanti Alert Network State and Territory Points of
Contact and Reference Links
• Becoming a Pilot State, Territory, or Tribe
• Program Overview Flyer
For More Information
Visit the National Ashanti Alert Network section of the BJA
website at https://bja.ojp.gov/program/national-ashanti-
alert-network/overview or email BJA at https://bja.ojp.gov/
askbja.
For technical assistance, contact: [email protected].
ABOUT BJA
BJA helps to make American communities safer
by strengthening the nation’s criminal justice system;
its grants, training and technical assistance, and
policy development services provide state, local,
and tribal governments with the cutting-edge
tools and best practices they need to reduce violent
and drug-related crime, support law enforcement,
and combat victimization. To learn more about
BJA, visit bja.ojp.gov or follow us on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/DOJBJA) and Twitter
(@DOJBJA). BJA is a component of the Department
of Justice’s Ofce of Justice Programs.
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