Pictured Above: AATTAP – AIIC Team Members and Representatives from the Wyoming State Patrol and Wind River Inter-Tribal Council
On March 11, 2020, the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AATTAP-AIIC) team, in partnership with the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program, conducted a one-day AMBER Alert in Indian Country Implementation Meeting with the Wind River Inter-Tribal Council in Fort Washakie. The Wind River Inter-Tribal Council is comprised of members from the two tribes on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, which combined have approximately 12,500 total enrolled members. Representatives from the Wind River Indian Community, Wind River Police Department, and surrounding state and county law enforcement agencies were also in attendance. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together representatives from Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, and the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program, to develop strategies for implementing AMBER Alert Plans for tribes in the aftermath of a child abduction.
During this meeting, staff from the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program provided a presentation on its missing persons programs and resources, specifically explaining the protocol for working collaboratively to request and issue an AMBER Alert. Presenters emphasized their continued commitment to cooperate and assist the Wind River Indian Reservation and the Wind River Chief of Police with continued AMBER Alert training. The Wind River Tribal Community representatives and State Representatives also met to discuss state resources and valuable information to ensure a cooperative effort to enhance response in the event of an abducted or endangered missing child. The meeting concluded with representatives in attendance discussing the role and duties of a possible AMBER Alert Coordinator within the Tribe to represent the Wind River Indian Community, and with concurrence to work with the Wyoming AMBER Alert Program on development of an AMBER Alert activation plan for the Tribe.
